Hashim Amla quit as South Africa’s Test captain on Wednesday in the middle of a four-Test series against England, hoping “someone else can add more value” as skipper.
Amla said after the drawn second Test at Newlands — where he made a double-century in a big return to form with the bat — that he was stepping down immediately.
“I am comfortable in my decision, knowing that I have given my best and will continue to do so,” Amla said after the match.
Photo: AFP
He is to remain available as a batsman for the remaining two Tests.
A.B. de Villiers is to replace Amla as captain for the remainder of the series, Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.
Amla took over the captaincy from the long-serving Graeme Smith in 2014 in a popular decision considering his outstanding Test record as a batsman. However, he came under pressure after a lean run of recent results for the top-ranked team and relative struggles with his own form.
Amla oversaw series wins in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe and a home victory versus the West Indies, but South Africa’s recent 3-0 drubbing in India — the Proteas’ first series loss away from home since 2006 — left a lasting impact.
Following that, South Africa then lost by 241 runs to visitors England in the current series’ opener in Durban, where Amla was asked about the captaincy. He said then that he was still enjoying it.
However, Amla on Wednesday said that he had been mulling over the decision to quit as far back as two weeks ago, before the series against England began.
He denied reports that the fierce criticism in South Africa over the team’s apparent slump and his own poor scores influenced his move. He just felt a change was best for the team, he said.
“You get to have a bit of a thick skin,” Amla said.
Still, stepping down was “a little bit of a relief,” he said.
Amla’s decision was unexpected considering his 201 in South Africa’s fighting performance at Newlands. Amla’s first Test hundred since December 2014 was at the heart of South Africa’s 627-7 declared, a defiant response after England scored 629-6 declared. By the end of the match, South Africa were on top and England were batting to save a draw.
Some of the criticism of the softly spoken Amla’s leadership style was that he is not aggressive enough, a characteristic out of kilter with some recent Proteas captains, who favored an in-your-face kind of style.
“If you try and copy anybody, you will never be a success,” Amla said. “There are many forms of leaderships.”
Amla remains a batsman with an impressive record. His double-century in Cape Town was his 24th Test century in 90 matches and his fourth Test score over 200. He averages 51.13 in Test cricket.
“I honestly feel a lot of the criticism that Hashim has faced in the last couple of weeks is very harsh,” South Africa coach Russell Domingo said. “He is one of South Africa’s greatest players... There has not been enough respect shown of his achievements as a player.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB