Is Amla more valuable than De Villiers in T20s?

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Johannesburg

When Hashim Amla walks to the wicket in a test or a one-day international, the nation’s brow unfurrows: everything is going to be OK. But apprehension rises when he takes guard in a T20.

Amla is able to bat for days without breaking sweat or even changing his gloves. Ask him to bash the ball around the park for a significant number of the 20 overs that constitute an innings in cricket’s panacea to instant gratification junkies and he seems more obviously mortal than usual. Or does he?

In his 21 innings in the shortest format for SA, Amla’s highest score is 48. After the same number of trips to the international T20 crease, AB de Villiers had three half-centuries.

But, also after 21 innings, De Villiers had scored 372 runs and suffered three ducks. Amla, who as an opener is helped by the restriction that does not allow more than two fielders to be outside the 30-metre circle in the first six overs of the innings, already has 415 runs and has been dismissed without scoring only once.

On top of that, Amla takes the 21-gun salute despite having faced less than half the number of deliveries in T20s compared to De Villiers - 349 plays 725 plays - while De Villiers is only marginally in front in terms of strike rate: 121.10 versus 118.91.

And yet there would seem to be no question that De Villiers is more valuable than Amla to SA’s campaign at the World T20 in Bangladesh, which starts with a warm-up game against the hosts’ second string in Fatullah today and begins in earnest when they take on Sri Lanka in Chittagong on Saturday in their first group match.

Amla did nothing to try and change that opinion in conversation with reporters in Fatullah: “I haven’t played a lot of international or domestic T20 games; I haven’t quite got the experience and I almost feel every game is a learning experience for me.”

He saw his role as playing “good cricket shots with the odd swipe here and there”, and did not agree with the conservative view that too much T20 would erode a sound technique.

“If you deal with it mentally I don’t think it will affect your test or ODI game,” Amla said. “There might be a few more expansive shots but the basics of the game are still there. You find your areas to score and you score quickly.

“I don’t see it as a massive change and I think that helps. We’ve got guys like AB de Villiers and David Miller who can hit the ball a really long way. So, not a lot will change for me - but hopefully I’ll have a quicker strike rate.”

Amla has overcome misconception for much of his career. Once, his technique was apparently not good enough for test cricket. Then, he was told he scored too slowly to have a significant one-day career. A straightened backlift and many quick runs later, he was the world’s No. 1 ranked batsman in both formats.

Currently, he is No. 47 on the T20 list. Not for long.