Hashim Amla Overtakes Graeme Smith with 28th Test Hundred
Oct 7, 2017 at 11:35 PM
The veteran batsman Hashim has set a new high after surpassing former South African skipper Graeme Smith while scoring his 28th Test century in his 186th innings of the 108th Test match on day two of the second Test fixture against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein.
The prolific right-handed batsman Amla has made things easier for his national side South Africa since he made his appearance on the international circuit.
It was Amla’s second Test hundred in the ongoing series with one innings to go, as South Africa has declared their first innings on 573 for four in 120 overs.
The Durban-born stroke-maker and top-order batsman Amla has eventually become the second-most centurion for the Proteas in the five-day format after former all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who smashed 45 Test tons in 165 Tests comprised of 268 innings.
Amla went on to score 132 off 163 deliveries which further saw his innings was comprised of 17 boundaries. However, he was cleaned up by the 28-year-old right-arm medium pacer Subashis Roy on the very first delivery the latter faced after the lunch break when the ball went through his legs to dislodge the bails.
Starting from his overnight score of 89 off 99 deliveries, Amla added 43 to his total on the delayed start of the Test due to rain which further saw him reaching the three-figure mark off 113 balls.
Interestingly, Amla scored 134 at Potchefstroom to play a significant role at the top while facing red-ball.
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Moreover, Amla, who plays the ball according to the merit, has further forged a 247-run stand for the fourth wicket alongside skipper Faf du Plessis.
Adding to the numbers, it was the 15th time when Amla was involved in a double-hundred-run partnership while donning the white jersey which further shows he has a knack of playing innings longer.
Earlier, the 36-year-old Johannesburg-born Smith was at the second position for scoring most number of hundreds in the Test set-up for South Africa.
The ex-opener Smith played 117 Tests in which he smashed 27 hundreds after amassing 9,265 runs at an average of 48.25.
Owing to the acumen, Amla has scored the bulk of runs to become a prominent face in the Proteas national fold.
Pertinently, Amla equalled the second-best record of 27 centuries when he brought his century at Senwes Park at Potch which further saw the hosts clinching the first Test by 333 runs against toothless Tigers.
The other two in the list include former skippers AB de Villiers (21 in 106 Tests) and Gary Kirsten (21 in 101 Tests).