CSA lauds Amla, Philander for helping SA become No.1 Test side

August 21, 2012

hashim-amla


Cricket South Africa (CSA) has lauded top-order batsman Hashim Amla and bowling all-rounder Vernon Philander for their superlative effort, which saw the Proteas dethrone England from the top of the ICC Test ranking.

Greame Smith-led South Africa won the final Test match against England by 51 runs at the Lords last night to clinch the three-match series 2-0 to not only retain the prestigious Basil D'Oliveira Trophy but also claimed the No.1 Test spot.

The series win, second on the trot for the visitors in England, saw South Africa overcome the English supremacy with a total of 120 ranking points.

England with 117 points have been pushed to the second spot, while Australia are at No. 3 with 116 points.

"The match was a personal triumph for virtually every member of the Proteas' starting XI but Hashim Amla had to stand out for his century as did Vernon Philander who made 96 invaluable runs as a No. 8 batsman over the two innings and returned with the figures of 5/30," CSA said in a statement.

Amla scored a 121 runs in South Africa's second innings to set up a difficult target of 346 for England before Philander picked his seventh five-wicket haul in less than a year of Test cricket to see his side get to the top.

In the pursuit the right-arm medium pacer also etched his name on the famous Honour's Board.

Philander has taken 39 wickets in the current calendar year, which is just one less than the leader, Stuart Broad of England.

The Proteas, however, would have a difficult task at hands, defending their No 1 position when they travel to Australia in November for a three-match Test series, followed by a home series against New Zealand and Pakistan.

"The entire squad, including all the players and team management, deserve every accolade they will undoubtedly receive," CSA acting CEO, Jacques Faul, said after the match.

Faul in particular lauded head coach Gary Kirsten for his calm and serene impact on the team.

"What has been particularly impressive has been the way they have performed when the pressure has been at its most extreme and this is a tribute to head coach Gary Kirsten and his assistants for the coolness under pressure they have brought to the squad.

"That coolness was a feature of Gary's own career and he has worked wonders in his first year in charge," he added.

The memorable final Test at the Lords also marked a historic outing for the skipper Smith, who turned out to lead SA for a world record 94th time.



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News Network
June 10,2020

Kingston, Jun 10: "Enough is enough", said West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he opened up on the raging issue of racism and called for "respect and equality" for black people, who have faced discrimination for years.

Bravo joined the likes of his former captain Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle in denouncing racism in the wake of African-American George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

"It's sad to see what's going on around the world. As a black man, we know the history of what black people have been through. We never ask for revenge, we ask for equality and respect. That's it," Bravo told former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa in an Instagram live chat on Tuesday.

"We give respect to others. Why is it that we are facing this over and over? Now enough is enough. We just want equality. We don't want revenge, war.

"We just want respect. We share love and appreciate people for who they are. That's what is most important."

The 36-year-old, who has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 71 T20Is for West Indies, said he wants the world to know that they are powerful and beautiful people and gave the example of greats such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan.

"I just want our brothers and sisters to know that we are powerful and beautiful. And at the end of the day, you look at some of the greats of the world, whether it is Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan we have had leaders who paved the way for us," he said.

Two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Sammy had earlier alleged that a racist nickname was used to address him during his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and demanded an apology.

Sammy said he was called 'Kalu' while he was in India. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.

Gayle, who too plays in the IPL, took to Twitter to back Sammy, saying that racism does exist in cricket.

"It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game!!," Gayle tweeted.

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Agencies
May 31,2020

London, May 31: "Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli," replied umpire Ian Gould when he was asked to name the three best batsmen he loved watching when he was officiating as an umpire.

The former ICC elite umpire said that he was unlucky to not watch Ponting bat as much as he would have liked to.

"Jacques Kallis. I loved watching Jacques. He was a very, very fine player. Sachin. And probably Virat. I was unlucky in some respects. I didn't see the best of Ricky Ponting. He was an outstanding character, outstanding captain, such a proud Australian," ESPNCricinfo quoted Gould as saying.

"But his career was just starting to wane as I came on the scene. But he was incredibly helpful, so I'm disappointed I have to leave him out. Jacques Kallis, I could sit and watch all day, Virat, the same. And Sachin, if you want someone to bat for your life, he was the man," he added.

Gould had retired from the ICC's panel of elite umpires in 2019, after standing in more than 250 international matches over a 13-year career.

Over the years, comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have been growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar called time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli has 70 centuries across all formats.

While, Kallis played 166 Tests, 328 ODIs and 25 T20Is for South Africa and he is often viewed as the greatest all-rounder the game has seen.

Many pundits of the game find it hard to pick between him and Sir Garfield Sobers.

Across his career, Kallis scored 25,534 runs in his career and he also managed to take 577 wickets.

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News Network
April 12,2020

Mumbai, Apr 12: Always eager to share his vast knowledge and experience, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has interacted with 12,000 doctors on sports injuries.

In his over two decade long illustrious career, Tendulkar suffered many health issues, the most prominent being the tennis elbow injury.

The veteran of 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, got to know through one Dr Sudhir Warrier, an orthopaedic surgeon, that several young doctors across the country were utilising the lockdown time to effectively gain knowledge on sports injuries through live webinars.

A session on sports injuries was held on Saturday and Tendulkar, knowing that his experiences will help these doctors, volunteered to be a part of it.

Tendulkar, accordingly, interacted with around 12,000 doctors, who attended the session.

It is reliably leanrt that the 46-year-old legend said he was grateful to the medical fraternity for their service.

During the session, the young orthopaedic doctors got to know how the requirements and treatment outcomes of athletes are different from regular patients, sources said.

Dr Warrier moderated the session with Dr Nitin Patel, physiotherapist, who has worked with Indian cricket team and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

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