Hashim Amla says he is retiring after leaving Surrey.
After South Africa won the World Cup in 2022, a great player called it quits.
- Having informed Surrey that he will not be returning to help defend the County Championship title that the club won in his final season as a player in 2022, Hashim Amla, one of South Africa’s greatest batters, has declared his retirement from all forms of cricket.
- Amla, now 39 years old, has amassed 34,104 runs throughout the course of his professional career, including 9,282 runs in 124 Test matches between 2004 and 2019, second only to Jacques Kallis for South Africa. South Africa’s first-ever triple-century in Tests came in 2012 when AB de Villiers scored 311 not out against England at the Kia Oval.
- He has already begun a coaching career, serving as the batting coach for MI Cape Town in the current SA20 tournament, and has scored a total of 8,113 runs (including 27 hundred) in 181 ODIs and 1,277 runs (including four centuries) in 44 T20Is. It is believed that under South Africa’s new coaching structure, he may be considered for the position of batting coach.
- Amla announced his retirement from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup, having previously left Test cricket against Sri Lanka at Gqeberha in February of that year.
- Later that year, he returned to Surrey after having previously played for Derbyshire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, and Essex, as well as representing the county as an overseas player in 2013 and 2014. In addition to playing for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, he has also played for Kwa-Zulu Natal, Dolphins, and Cape Cobras in South Africa.
- Amla’s impact was clear in his final two seasons at Surrey, when he made five additional hundreds (with a best of 215 not out against Hampshire in 2021) and served as a key support to captain Rory Burns as a senior figure in the dressing room.
- “I have tremendous memories of the Oval ground, and to ultimately leave it as a player provides me with immense gratitude for what has been,” Amla said.
- The entire Surrey organization, including Alec Stewart, the players, and the Members, are well appreciated. It would be an honor for any international player to be a part of the Surrey ship’s operations because of how smoothly they are managed.
- I hope they achieve great success and win many more titles.
- Stewart, who has worked with Amla throughout both of his stints at Surrey, called Amla a “genuine professional and a great of the game.”
- Everyone at Surrey County Cricket Club is going to miss Hashim when he retires, but we can’t help but celebrate his incredible career. It’s safe to say that he’ll be remembered as one of the all-time greats in the sport, as stated by Stewart.
- “Hashim is a nice person and a fantastic cricket player. Both on and off the field, he has been a tremendous teacher for the group.
- In addition to scoring heavily in clutch situations, he has also proven his desire to do everything it takes to help his team win in adversity. For everything he has done for Surrey, he is a model professional and an inspiration to future players.
- “I am sure all our Members and supporters would like to thank him for his time here and congratulate him on such a storied career. Everyone at Surrey wishes him the best of luck in the future.”
