Dean Elgar is like a replacement for Hashim Amla: Ottis Gibson

Proteas opener Dean Elgar has been a consistent performer in the Test setup for a long time now and he certainly has been filling the boots of Graeme Smith to a great effect. The 31-year-old is also aiming to make up a place for himself in the ODI side in a bid to earn a ticket to the World Cup next year in England.

As mentioned by South African head coach Ottis Gibson, Elgar has made his intentions quite clear to the management and is looking forward to making it to the limited overs scheme of things. With their stalwart Hashim Amla sidelined due to an injury, the southpaw’s chances of getting into the ODI squad are fairly high.

Elgar, who captained the South African U19 side in the 2006 World Cup, is a batsman made for marathon knocks. He and Windies legend Desmond Haynes are the only two cricketers in Test cricket to have carried the bat through on 3 occasions, a stat which throws light on his mental stability.

He is in the radar for the World Cup: Ottis Gibson

Ottis Gibson reckons with the incredible record he has, he is certainly in the radar to play the World Cup. He also said that Elgar can be a direct replacement for Hashim Amla as both players have similar techniques and batting styles. Elgar, who will soon be playing his 50th Test for South Africa, played just 6 ODIs thus far.

“Dean is a like for like swap with Hash,” national coach Ottis Gibson said. You think about the World Cup and you think about Dean’s record with almost every county he’s played for, and clearly, he comes into the conversation.

“He has made it clear he is keen on playing one-day international cricket and this gives us a chance to see him,” said Gibson. The duo of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock is touted to be the opening pair for South Africa in the World Cup, but given Amla fails to recover completely, Gibson has some decent backup options in his arsenal.

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