Former cricketer AB de Villiers, who had made his international debut for South Africa in 2004 with Amla, penned an emotional tribute to the retiring cricketer.
Between 2004 and 2018, when De Villiers bid farewell to international cricket, the duo shared 113 partnerships in the three formats (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) and clubbed 6,274 runs together at an average of 57.55. No other South Africa pair scored as many runs as Amla and De Villiers.
Post retirement, Amla’s project would be a coaching stint at MI Cape Town in the ongoing SA20, where he will perform the duties of a batting coach.
De Villiers’ heart-winning message for Amla:
“Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy. Might take me a few days, weeks, months, years.
I can literally write a book about you.
Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You’ve always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways.
Your journey wasn’t easy. “The guy with the weird technique”. “He’ll never last”. “He’ll never be consistent”.
“But then, in your own very unique way, you just walked out there, time and time again and just batted, like only you can. Calm, composed, consistent, gutsy, skilful and humble, always for the team, for your country. You inspired me in a way I can’t explain.
So, today, I salute you my friend. You served the game to perfection! We can all learn from that. I did
I wish I could bat with you one more time.”
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