Hashim Amla is 'overwhelmed' by record-breaking knock for South Africa

July 23, 2012

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Oval, July 23: The biggest cheer from England supporters here yesterday arrived shortly after tea; Bradley Wiggins, it was announced, had won the Tour de France. The only other rousing shout marked Jimmy Anderson beating the outside edge of Hashim Amla's bat. The celebration was soaked in irony and was followed by sarcastic applause.

Only Don Bradman and Brian Lara have scored more runs against England in a single innings than Amla's unbeaten 311 here, making him the first South African to score a Test triple hundred.

Amla claims that he eats like a rabbit but, unfortunately from the perspective of England's bowlers, he does not bat like one. The only surprise is that this devout Muslim is eating at all, for it is Ramadan and in the past not even Test cricket has been allowed to interrupt the vigilance of his religious observance. Here, though, he has put fasting on hold.

"Because I'm travelling away from home I don't have to fast," he said. "So I haven't been fasting. But I will make it up when I get home."

Amla batted for just over 13 hours, which was most unlucky for England. Strangely he had been dominated by both his partners, by Graeme Smith on Saturday and on Sunday by Jacques Kallis, players of physical bulk and mountainous records who towered above him like twin pillars.

Ultimately, though, Amla shuffled centre stage. A dapper, back-foot stylist, who plays with wristy precision and deft timing, he is much better to watch than either Smith or Kallis and by the end of his day his monumental achievement had dwarfed them both.

One day his score will be beaten but no one will ever deprive him of his record of becoming the first South African to get this far. Neither Smith nor Kallis has managed that, not Barry Richards or Graeme Pollock or Herbie Taylor, the great batsman of an earlier era.

England may have set a one-day field for Amla but he batted timelessly in the direction of posterity and feted glory. The first South African of Indian descent to make the team might one day be described as the most famous bearded cricketer since WG Grace.

"I'm happy, surprised, really excited that I managed to do something that has never been done before as a South African," Amla added. "With my scoring rate 300 is usually a very long way away, so it didn't cross my mind until I'd got to 250. I'm overwhelmed. It's a lovely feeling.

"But the biggest joy is the team being in a dominating position to win this Test match. We had a team goal of what we wanted to have scored by tea."

His association with Kallis is becoming one of the great partnerships of Test cricket. Ten times they have added a hundred together and on six of those occasions they have put on two hundred, while this was their third treble-hundred alliance.

The pair added only 36 runs in the first hour and the drinks they had then must have been of the high-energy variety for in the next hour they put on 75 and after lunch they accelerated again, even Kallis, who has often struggled with his gears, as if driving a pre-synchromesh car.

When Kallis reached his century he touched his right eye in memory of his injured good friend Mark Boucher (actually, it should have been his left). At the end of South Africa's innings, however, thoughts were only of Amla.

England's batting coach, Graham Gooch, the last man to score a triple hundred in this country, 22 years ago, said: "It was a wonderful effort. You need a great attitude, good technique, good knowledge and above all spot-on concentration. He showed all four things today."

He scarcely needed to add: "It's not going our way."

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News Network
May 6,2020

May 6: They have similar impact on their teams but Virat Kohli is driven by sheer passion to subdue the rivals while Steve Smith just enjoys batting, says Australia opener David Warner.

India skipper Kohli and top Australian batsman Smith are arguably the top two cricketers of the current era. They achieve new milestones consistently, invoking debates, who is better between them.

"Virat's passion and drive to score runs is different to what Steve's would be," Warner said while speaking to Harsha Bhogle on 'Cricbuzz in Conversation'.

"Steve is going out there for a hit in the middle, that's how he sees things. He's hitting them out in the middle, he's having fun, he's enjoying himself, just does not want to get out."

Warner feels, while Kohli is batting he is aware that if he sticks around the middle his team will be on top of the proceedings.

"Virat obviously doesn't want to get out but he knows if he spends a certain amount of time out there, he's going to score plenty of runs at a rapid rate. He's going to get on top of you. That allows the guys coming in, especially in the Indian team you've got a lot of players who can be flamboyant as well."

The Australian opener added that both men are mentally strong and a good knock by them boosts the morale of the entire team.

"When it comes to cricket, they both have got the mental strength, the mental capacity to score runs. They both love spending time in the middle.

"They stabilise, they boost morale - if they score runs, everyone else's moral is up. If they are out cheaply you almost sense that on the field that everyone is (down on morale and thinking) 'now we all have to step up'. It's a very bizarre situation," he added.

Asked about the similarities between himself and Kohli, who are both live wires on the field, Warner said the passion to do better than the opponent keeps him going.

"I can't speak for Virat, obviously, but it's almost like we got this thing in us when we go (out to the middle) we need to prove people wrong, prove someone wrong."

"If you're in that contest, and if I'm going at him for example, you're thinking, 'Alright, I'm going to score more runs than him, I'm going to take a quick single on him'. You are trying to better that person in that game. That's where the passion comes from."

Warner also explained how he breaks down a match into smaller competitions.

"Obviously you want to win the game but you almost break it down to: If I can score more runs than Virat, or if Pujara scores more runs than Steve Smith, you have these little contests and that's how you try to narrow the game in the sense that if we do these little things, we can be ahead of the game or we can be behind the game.

"The passion is driven by...I know my sense - one, the will to win and two, wanting to do better than that person in the opposition," said Warner.

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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Filipina weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz noticed live-streamed concerts were collecting money for coronavirus relief and was struck by inspiration: why not raise funds with an online workout?

Since then the Olympic silver-medallist -- and strong contender for her country's first Games gold -- has made enough money to buy food packs for hundreds of hard-hit families in the Philippines.

Diaz has done it all from Malaysia, where she was training to qualify for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics when much of the world locked down against the virus in March.

"I thought (distribution) would be impossible because I'm not physically present," Diaz, 29, told news agency.

"It's a good thing that I have trusted friends and trusted family members who understand why we need to do a fundraising."

That circle of supporters has handed out the packages, which include vegetables, eggs and rice, to more than 400 families.

The food was bought with donations from about 50 people who joined sessions that lasted up to three hours, and gave them a rare chance to train with an elite athlete.

Diaz rose to fame in 2016 after snagging a surprise silver in the 53 kilogramme category in Rio, becoming the Philippines' first female Olympic medallist and ending the nation's 20-year medal drought at the Games.

Two years later, she won gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

However, her quest to qualify for Tokyo is on hold ahead of the Games' rescheduled opening in July 2021.

"I thought all the hard work would soon be over... then it was extended," she said. "But I'm still thankful I can still continue with (the training) I need to do."

Still, the lockdown broke her daily training regimen, keeping her away from weights for 14 days for the first time in her career.

"I felt like I was losing my mind already. I've been carrying the barbell for 18 years and all of a sudden it's gone. Those were the kinds of anxiety that I felt," she said.

But she got access to some equipment, and with her coach's urging, got back to work. She was relieved to find her strength was still there.

Instead of a Tokyo berth, the past months have been about a different kind of accomplishment for Diaz: helping her countrymen get through the coronavirus crisis.

Rosemelyn Francisco's family in Zamboanga City, Diaz's home town, is one of the first to get help from the athlete's initiative, and is deeply grateful.

Her family was not wealthy to begin with, and the pandemic has cost her husband his construction job.

"The food she donated has all everything we need, including eggs," said Francisco, 27.

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News Network
June 29,2020

Jun 29: The West Indies cricketers will sport a 'Black Lives Matter' logo on the collars of their shirts during the upcoming three-Test series against England to protest against racism in sports.

Skipper Jason Holder, who has voiced his support to the cause that has once again come to the forefront after the killing of American George Floyd, said in a statement on Sunday: "We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness."

The ICC-approved logo, designed by Alisha Hosannah, will be the one which featured in the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs since the sport's resumption earlier this month.

"This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team," Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality. "As a group of young men, we know of the rich and diverse history of West Indies cricket and we know we are guardians of the great game for a generation to come."

Holder, who wants racism to be treated at par with doping and corruption, said they arrived at the decision to wear the logo after much thought.

"We did not take our decision lightly. We know what it is for people to make judgments because of the colour of our skin, so we know what it feels like, this goes beyond the boundary. There must be equality and there must be unity. Until we get that as people, we cannot stop," he said.

"We have to find some way to have equal rights and people must not be viewed differently because of the colour of their skin or ethnic background."

The West Indies players are likely to wear the shirts for the first time in this week's four-day warm-up match at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Monday.

The opening Test of the series, which will mark the resumption of international cricket after the coronavirus-forced hiatus, will get underway at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 8.

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