Hashim Amla Becomes Fastest Batsman to Hit 17 ODI Centuries After Virat Kohli

Hashim Mohammad Amla (born 31 March 1983) is a South African cricketer. A right-handed top order batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler, Amla bats at number 3 for South Africa in Test matches and has opened in limited overs contests. He is currently ranked by the International Cricket Council as the world’s number 4 batsman in Test and One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Hashim Amla Career:

Amla became the first South African to score a Test match triple century when he scored 311 not out against England in 2012. In the 57th innings of his one-day international career, Amla became the fastest batsman to score 3,000 ODI runs, requiring 12 innings fewer than Sir Vivian Richards. Also on 8 December 2013, he became the fastest batsman to score 4,000 ODI runs, requiring 8 innings fewer than Sir Vivian Richards. In his 57th match, Hashim Amla became the fastest cricketer to reach 10 centuries in ODIs. Hashim Amla in 2013 became the first batsman since Ricky Ponting to head both Test and ODI rankings at the same time in the latest ICC charts. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013.

South African opener Hashim Amla has now become the fastest cricketer to score 17 ODI centuries. He reached the mark by virtue of the hundred he scored in the third ODI vs Australia played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday. Amla got to the mark in his 98th innings, 14 less than the earlier record-holder Virat Kohli.

Amla’s incredible record in ODIs

The 31-year-old has been South Africa’s Mr. Consistent over the past few years, frequently giving them good starts at the top of the order and piling on the runs in every series. He earlier became the fastest to score 15 ODI hundreds as well when he scored a century against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, again going past Kohli. Amla achieved that feat in his 86th innings while the Delhi batsman took 20 more innings to get to the mark.

Amla made his ODI debut for South Africa in 2008 against Bangladesh at Chittagong and has developed into an extremely effective one-day cricketer over the years. He might not possess the raw power of someone like a Chris Gayle nor does he score his runs as innovatively as his teammate AB de Villiers but he certainly can maintain a good pace by scoring boundaries at regular intervals and rotating the strike at other times.

However, soon after reaching his hundred, Amla was bowled for 102 by Josh Hazlewood and that proved to be the turning point as Australia clawed their way into the game and eventually went on to win it by 73 runs. Earlier, the Aussies, courtesy a 109 from Aaron Finch and a quick-fire 55-ball 73 not out from Steve Smith posted a massive score of 329 for 5 in their 50 overs.

Cricket South Africa posted a tweet praising Amla’s performance.

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