It was yet another day where a team’s poor fielding displaced a batting masterclass, prompting the otherwise composed King XI Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell to let his feelings be known to the team, who perhaps need to win every game from here to stay in contention for a spot in the playoffs.
Maxwell, seething with anger and disappointment, said: “We dropped three crucial catches. To have a guy get a hundred and not be able to celebrate with a win is pretty devastating.”
He was referring to Hashim Amla’s efforts, who smashed another elegant yet destructive ton to give his team a solid total to defend. As it has been the case all season long, a couple of good performances were replaced by a wretched display with the ball and in the field.
Maxwell knew that his team, which is packed with a fair amount of experience, especially from the Indian contingent, are on the cusp of missing out of a place in the last four. To compound the Australian’s misery, Amla, along with fellow South African David Miller will be out for the rest of the tournament.
Artistry at its very best
That teams refrained from picking Amla during the auctions not so long ago has been brought up on many an occasion this season just as the batsman kept stockpiling one solid knock after another.
Had Shaun Marsh not suffered an injury last season, Amla may have never got a look-in. An ever-present figure in the top run-getters list this season, Amla leaves his team craving for more, smashing two fifties and as many hundreds. For the ones who dismissed the 34-year-old as a batsman tailor-made for the five-day format, his runs have come at an astounding strike-rate of 145.83.
The ones who have followed the South African batsman’s career closely know that he can effortlessly change gears depending on the format that he is playing in. The Proteas certainly haven’t forgotten his qualities. For all of AB De Villiers’ flamboyance, Quinton de Kock’s free-flowing strokemaking or Miller’s finishing, Amla’s place has never been a threat.
In Twenty20 cricket alone, the bearded maestro’s runs have come at a whopping average of 74 since the turn of last year. His knock against Gujarat Lions had him mix copybook strokes and also made last-minute improvisations to throw the bowler off guard in the final overs.
Gifted with supple wrists, anything drifted on the leg-side was whipped away with utmost disdain. The cut shot has always been one of his strengths as a batsman. Off-late, Amla has also mastered the lofted drive through long-off or cover point to good effect – he brought up his century on Sunday in that manner. The short delivery has also failed to ruffle him as his hook shots are among the best in the business. It is hard to believe that the short-pitched stuff aimed at his rib cage was the Durban-born’s Achilles Heel during the early stages of his career.
From 0 to 100, Amla style
In most games this year, Amla has wasted no time time in keeping the scoreboard ticking, making full use of the field restrictions during the Powerplay overs. Against Mumbai Indians – against whom he brought up his maiden Indian Premier League century, Amla targeted Lasith Malinga, smashing 51 runs from the 16 deliveries he faced against the Sri Lankan.
His strategy was quite similar against the Lions in the “death” overs. Here, he took on a another yorker specialist in rookie pacer Basil Thampi. The bowler was unsettled by Amla’s shuffle at the crease, and leaked runs aplenty.
The shot of the day, though, was the Punjab batsman’s reverse-sweep from a full-length delivery, expertly dissecting the gap between the keeper and short-third man. Younger batsmen in the top echelons such as Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have not tinkered with their technique. Amla, in what may possibly be his last leg of his career, has had no such qualms adapting to the “360 degree” demands placed on a modern day batsman.
After the fall of an early wicket, Amla waited before launching into the bowlers at Mohali.
The road ahead for Punjab
With Martin Guptill still settling in and Marcus Stoinis resigned to be on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury, Punjab have their task cut out with Amla leaving for national duties.
Their fixture list isn’t easy on them either: They play their final three games against in-form sides Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant. Shaun Marsh’s recent form has been encouraging but a inconsistent bowling lineup, and an over-dependence on a couple of players means that the end is near for the 2014 finalists.
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