Hashim Amla has not only broken, but entirely smashed Cricket records. The South African player holds the record for first to reach 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and even 7000 runs in the Cricket World Cup before his retirement.
But in 2019, just after he hit the 8000 run mark in a match against New Zealand just one inning over the record, Amla announced an end to his record-breaking days.
Instead, the 37-year-old has turned to other endeavors, including his recent signing as mentor to the Peshawar Zalmi team in the Pakistan Super League.
Hashim Amla breaks record after record
Amla made his professional debut in cricket with his provincial team, the Kwazulu-Natal Dolphins. He very soon rose in the ranks, ultimately taking on the captaincy at the young age of 21.
From there, Amla began breaking one record after another. For one, he holds the record for first to 1000 runs (by number of innings taken to get there) between 2000 and 7000. Moreover, he scored four consecutive centuries in four ODI innings at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
But one of his most talked-about achievements has less to do with records, and more to do with his personal stamina and fortitude. In 2012, Amla took the record for fastest individual South African run-scorer in Test format – an impressive feat on its own. But even more impressively, he did it while fasting during the month of Ramadan.
“It really helps with my conditioning,” Amla says. “Fasting is something I always look forward to. It’s the best month of the year. I see it as a great mental exercise and also, as a great spiritual exercise.”
A supportive family fuels success
Amla comes from a Muslim family of Indian origin, but grew up in Durban, South Africa. He began playing cricket at the age of 11. Within five years, he was captain of the cricket team at Durban High School, one of South Africa’s most well-regarded schools.
Hashim is not the only member of the Amla family to play professional cricket, either. His older brother Ahmed made his own professional debut just a couple of years before Amla. Their time with the provincial Kwazulu-Natal Dolphins team even overlapped for a while.
However, Ahmed does not recall being very helpful to his little brother’s introduction to cricket. “…I just bullied him,” the older Amla joked.
Nevertheless, both Ahmed and Hashim Amla had plenty of support from their parents and sister. “Actually, we were very fortunate,” explains Ahmed. “Our father (Dr Mahomed Amla) is a very open-minded person. Our mother had a harder job. She had to look after a couple of rascals. It was tough…But we were lucky because our immediate family and extended family backed us.”
Hashim Amla announced his retirement in 2019
With his successful career in professional cricket behind him, Amla has plenty to fill his time. He will surely spend much of it with his wife, Sumaiyah, and their two children.
But Amla has not finished with cricket entirely. In fact, the Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi announced that Amla has signed on as batting mentor for the team’s 2020 season. In 2019, he had served as a batting consultant for the Cape Town Blitz franchise in the same league.
Amla has also noted that his retirement pertains to international cricket – he may still participate in domestic cricket and Mzansi Super League.
Keep up with the latest on Amla through his Twitter page.
