Reports: Hashim Amla considering Kolpak deal

In an extraordinary turn of events, it has been understood that the county teams are looking to land a prized scalp in Kolpak deal. According to reports, Proteas’ star batsman Hashim Amla has been approached by various county sides to prolong his career in the English county circuit.

This news might come as a shock to Cricket South Africa as it has already been reported recently that their fast bowler Morne Morkel has been lined by Warwickshire. Proteas have lost significant cricketers to this lucrative contract which include the likes of Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw (Hampshire), Stiaan Van Zyl (Sussex) and Dane Vilas (Lancashire).

Why Amla might consider Kolpak deal?

According to Independent Online, The 34-year-old batsman has expressed his desire to have one final crack at 2019 Cricket World Cup. However, there is a possibility that he might give it a serious thought to pursuing the Kolpak deal as he had a below par England tour according to his standards. He wasn’t up to the mark throughout their stay in England and was dismissed by rookie Toby Roland Jones thrice in 4 innings in the recently concluded Test series.

Russell Domingo will be stepping down as the coach of the National team and it is well documented that Amla developed a strong bond with him over the years. He also went on to say that the coaching staff has been good he has had in all his years of playing career. Amla could view this period a fresh start for him too.

More often than not in the longest format, Amla has been exposed very early to the new ball given that South Africa have not found an able partner to Elgar. He virtually had to open the innings in almost every innings in the 4 match series against England and play a role that goes against his natural attacking abilities. His own performances are dropping as a result.

Amla has previously enjoyed county stints as an overseas player for Essex and Surrey and enjoyed his time at the latter due to the vibe and atmosphere at the Oval in the southern parts of London.

International Career

Hashim Amla has had a successful international career so far in all the formats of the game. He has amassed 8281 runs in a whopping 107 Tests at an average of 49 which has dropped recently. He has fared better in ODIs scoring 7186 runs at an impressive average of 50.25 in 156 matches. He has also shown his prowess in the shortest format of the game accumulating runs at the strike rate of 129.85.

With powerhouses such as India and Australia are set to visit South African shores in near future, CSA might have to talk to Amla and Morkel as the loss of these two players when the side is in transition will be huge. Though, one has to believe that the strong desire of playing in 2019 Cricket World Cup might keep Amla away from considering Kolpak deal.