WATCH: Durban homecoming for Proteas veteran Amla
Updated | By Gareth Jenkinson
Having left the Dolphins in 2013, Proteas veteran Hashim Amla will be playing cricket at Kingsmead once again for the Durban Heat in the inaugural Mzansi Super League.
The 35-year-old batsman has played most of his cricket for the national side over the past few years, with periodic appearances for the Cape Cobras, the team he joined in 2013.
Born and raised in Durban, Amla was a star for Durban Boys High before climbing through the ranks at the Dolphins and the South African age groups sides. Considering his roots in the city, his return to play domestic cricket if only for six weeks, is an exciting one for local fans.
Ahead of the opening match of the competition this Sunday at Kingsmead against the Cape Town Blitz, East Coast Drive presenter Gareth ‘G-Dog’ Jenkinson spoke to Amla about his return to Durban, the phenomenal talent in the Durban Heat squad, his expectations of the inaugural Mzansi Super League and his own personal goals leading into a Cricket World Cup year in 2019.
Check out the video below:
Amla was named as the Durban Heat marquee Proteas player ahead of the national T20 competition in October. He was one of six Proteas players allocated for the six teams, alongside Faf du Plessis (Paarl Rocks), AB de Villiers (Tshwane Spartans), Kagiso Rabada (Jozi Stars), Imran Tahir (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants) and Quinton de Kock (Cape Town Blitz).
Following that, the rests of the squads were decided by an exciting player draft. The Dolphins snapped up Proteas star David Miller as their first pick, while Afghanistan’s spin sensation Rashid Khan was their international pick alongside Zimbabwe’s Brandon Mavuta.
Following that, coach Grant Morgan and Dolphins CEO Heinrich Strydom managed to secure an impressive list of players including Proteas Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott (kolpak), Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange (kolpak), Vernon Philander, Temba Bavuma and veteran Morne van Wyk.
Following that, Morkel, who has over 300 T20 matches under his belt, was named captain of the side. Amla believes their squad is perfect blend of youth and experience.
“Albie is one of the most experienced T20 players in the world so we’re very fortunate to have him as captain. He’s been fantastic and it’s great to have him onboard. We’ve got Rashid Khan as our international player, and over the last few years he’s been outstanding in international and T20 competitions around the world,” Amla said.
“We’ve got national guys like Dave Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Temba Bavuma, Marchant de Lange, guys that have played a lot of international cricket. It’s a really good squad, so it's all about getting together and gelling and finding rhythm in the game. You can have a great squad, but you’ve got find the right rhythm and obviously the captain and coach will work hard to find the right starting XI.”
Amla’s availability for the competition was put in doubt in September, when the batsman pulled out of the Proteas’ tour to Australia.
However, sufficient time off has helped Amla recover and there is a good chance that the veteran could feature in the opening match of the competition against the Cape Town Blitz on Sunday.
Having missed out on a tour Down Under, Amla believes the upcoming Mzansi Super League and subsequent tours with the national side create an exciting road ahead with the Cricket World Cup looming in 2019.
“You can feel the buzz, guys are waiting for the competition to start. But once this is done, it’s on to international cricket which is always high intensity and there’s a lot of excitement around that. Certainly in the One Day format, we’re building up to the World Cup.
“The World Cup is a massive event, we’re all excited, we want to be at our best to represent our country there and hopefully do something special - that’s at the back of the mind. We’ve got other challenges, other competitions coming up but the World Cup is certainly something you want to be at your best for.”
The Durban Heat take on the Cape Town Blitz on Sunday, 18 November - the match gets underway at 11am.
Durban Heat Fixtures:
18 Nov : Durban Heat v Cape Town Blitz Kingsmead, Durban
21 Nov : Durban Heat v Tshwane Spartans Kingsmead, Durban
23 Nov : Nelson Mandela Giants v Durban Heat St George's, Port Elizabeth
28 Nov : Durban Heat v Paarl Rocks Kingsmead, Durban
30 Nov : Jozi Stars v Durban Heat Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
02 Dec : Paarl Rocks v Durban Heat Eurolux Boland Park, Paarl
05 Dec : Durban Heat v Nelson Mandela Giants Kingsmead, Durban
07 Dec : Durban Heat v Jozi Stars Kingsmead, Durban
09 Dec : Cape Town Blitz v Durban Heat PPC Newlands, Cape Town
12 Dec : Tshwane Spartans v Durban Heat SuperSport Park, Centurion
Durban Heat Squad:
Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott, Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange, Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta, Temba Bavuma, Morné van Wyk, Okuhle Cele, Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako
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