Hashim Amla signs a two-year deal with Surrey on Kolpak contract

What is it with South African players and Kolpak. Simon Harmer, Rilee Rossouw, Kyle Abbott, Duanne Oliver, Morne Morkel. All of these cricketers apart from being South African players have one thing in common. Yep! You guessed it right- Kolpak deal with the English counties.

The latest to join the bandwagon is former opener Hashim Amla. The former South Africa opener has signed a two-year Kolpak deal with Surrey, it was confirmed on Tuesday (October 29). The right-handed batsman retired from all forms of the game following the 2019 World Cup. Amla will now join ex-teammate Morne Morkel at Surrey till the end of the 2021 season.

‘Excited to join Surrey’ – Hashim Amla

Excited about the prospect of playing in ‘one of the most established and accomplished cricket club in the world’- Surrey- the right-handed opener is hoping to continue his relationship with the organization after having already played in 2013 and 2014.

“Surrey are one of the most established and accomplished cricket clubs in the world and I am very excited to be joining them again while also not forgetting the opportunity to play alongside my good friend Morne Morkel again. I was part of the Surrey team in 2013 and 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed myself during those stints, so to rekindle that relationship for a longer period is something that excites me. I’m really looking forward to working with Alec Stewart and the rest of his team.” Amla said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Alex Stewart, the director of Surrey Cricket, felt Hashim Amla’s presence would bolster the set-up. He hailed the right-hander for his records with the willow, “With several of our players now in or around the international setup, the opportunity to bring Hashim back to Surrey was too good to ignore. His record speaks for itself and we know from his previous spells here that he will be an excellent resource for all of our players to learn from both on and off the field,” said Alex Stewart.

In a career spanning 349 international games, Amla aggregated 18,672 runs including 55 centuries and 88 other scores in excess of 50 and is the only triple centurion by a South African in Test cricket.

[interaction id=”5db2f7437bf76b4d68bf73e3″]