Twitter erupts as Hashim Amla decimates Mumbai Indians bowling line-up

By Subhankar Bhattacharya

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4 Min Read

Hashim Amla
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Hashim Amla. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Seldom would one associate South Africa’s Hashim Amla with explosive batting as required in the shortest format of the game. However, the IPL has built a reputation of bringing out an unexpected facet in world-class players, and Hashim Amla has been the latest outcome of this extravagant T20 league. The Proteas legend took center stage on the night of the Kings XI Punjab’s clash against a consistent Mumbai Indians side.

Instead of youngster Manan Vohra, Hashim Amla walked out with Shaun Marsh to open the innings. The Australian got KXIP to a quick start as he has always done. However, as Marsh departed, Amla took matters into his own hands.

Hashim Amla was timing the ball sweetly right from the outset. Balls raced to the boundary as Amla executed some textbook cricket shots. Amla got to his second half-century of this edition of the IPL off 34 balls.

Soon, his exquisite strokeplay transformed into aggressive big-hitting. The turning point in Amla’s acceleration came in the 16th over, as the South African took on the best in the business when it comes to death bowling – Lasith Malinga.

On the second ball of the Malinga over, Amla greeted the Sri Lankan pacer with a monstrous six which cleared the ropes, the stands and the entire stadium itself. As the ball soared into the night sky, MI skipper Rohit Sharma’s head dropped in utter disbelief. New ball please!

Malinga followed it up with a wide, and as he reloaded that delivery, Amla dispatched the ball over point. Hashim Amla wasn’t playing rash shots; it was always an exhibition of clean hitting. However, it was a first for Malinga to have been treated with such disdain.

Malinga’s yorkers went unusually wrong in that fateful over, and Amla had no qualms smashing the ball towards the crowd. Hashim Amla ended the over with two consecutive fours, as Malinga went for a rare 22 runs in that 16th over.

Amla’s s romance with Malinga didn’t end there. As the Sri Lankan ran into bowl the final over of the innings, it was Hashim Amla on strike, 10 short of a maiden T20 century. Amla bludgeoned two back to back sixes to bring up a cracking 100.

As Wridhhiman, Maxwell and Stoinis departed, Amla was steadfast at the crease. Many questioned this man’s utility at the opening slot in the KXIP batting line-up, but Amla shut his critics with one single innings, and how. The legend had his skills in full display in his unbeaten 60-ball 104.

To all those who doubted this man’s ability to adapt to T20 cricket, his innings came as a slap across their faces. There’s just one word to describe Hashim Amla’s batting tonight, and that’s ‘formidable’.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Hashim Amla’s whirlwind innings:

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IPL 2024Mumbai IndiansHashim AmlaLasith Malinga