ICC honours SA icons Smith, Amla as Proteas eye World Test Championship glory
Two of South Africa's best have been recognised as Hall of Fame members following incredible careers.
Against the backdrop of South Africa's World Test Championship (WTC) final bid at Lord's against Australia, two icons of South Africa's cricket team from a previous era were recognised as icons of the game.
Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla were inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame on Monday night at Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded most of their discography.
It was a sweet tune sung by master of ceremony Ian Bishop, waxing lyrical about the seven inductees who apart from Smith and Amla included legends Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni, Daniel Vettori, Sana Mir and Sarah Taylor.
Abbey Road Studios is a 15-minute walk from Lord's Cricket Ground, a walk that includes the famous Abbey Road crossing where the picture of the Beatles' acclaimed 1969 album was taken.
While the area is rich in music history in St John's Wood, South Africa's cricketing record in the area is fine, too.
Lord's is where Smith, with Amla as his anchor, claimed the Test mace in 2012 against England. Amla scored a second-innings century to help South Africa to a 51-run victory and 2-0 series win over the old foes.
Now, 13 years later, they have been recognised as two of the finest cricketers to have played the game, and will be in attendance at Lord's hoping to see their compatriots hold the Test mace up once again.
'Honoured'
Amla's record in one-day international cricket is as exemplary as his Test record, with 8,113 runs in the 50-over format in only 181 matches — the third most runs for South Africa in the format.
'It's unbelievable really,' Amla said after being inducted. 'Knowing all the great cricketers that have been included in the hall of fame, it's pretty unreal.
'I don't think you ever see yourself as someone worthy of being included among these guys. I'm really honoured.'
In Test cricket, Amla was equally dominant, scoring 9,282 runs in 124 matches at an average of 46.64.
While Smith was exceptional as an opening batter, having scored 9,265 runs in 117 matches, his ability as a captain is what has made him widely revered.
Smith led the country in 109 Tests and won 53 of them. The broad-chested Smith admitted to knowing about his induction into the highest honours of the game for a few weeks prior to the day.
'I've known for like two months now,' the former skipper said. 'It's been quite a weird, surreal feeling.
'I'm immensely proud, I got a bit croaky on stage when you look back at some of the things and think about it. You give a lot and you share a lot with a lot of amazing people along the way.'
Smith and Amla's careers overlapped, and they spent a large part of their time on the cricket field playing either with or against each other.
'We played about 70 Tests together,' Smith said. 'Hash and I are the same age, we played against each other at school.
'There are lots of great memories, lots of great partnerships.'
Smith and Amla join Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers from that 2012 side to have joined the ICC Hall of Fame, a side that is widely regarded as the country's best ever.
The current crop of Proteas will be hoping to emulate the performances of that side in their quest for Test match glory at Lord's. DM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
40 minutes ago
- Daily Maverick
World Test Championship final hangs in balance as Lungi Ngidi drags Proteas back into match
Australia, 212 and 144 for 8 (Alex Carey 43, Lungi Ngidi 3-35, Kagiso Rabada 3-44), lead South Africa, 138 (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36, Pat Cummins 6-28), by 218 runs. The World Test Championship (WTC) final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's in England has been a match of expert bowling and batting collapses. The Proteas were skittled for 138 after lunch on day two, having gone into the afternoon break on 121 for five. Australia, in their second innings, went into tea on 28 for two before landing on 73 for seven 12 overs later as 14 wickets fell on the second day of play, the same as the first. Heading into the final session of day two, Australia would have felt completely in control of the match and positive of retaining their WTC crown. They were 102 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand and their two batters with the highest Test averages at the crease: Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. But Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Lungi Ngidi in particular, turned the match on its head, combining for five wickets in eight overs, and conceding 30 runs as Kagiso Rabada's support cast became the main stars for 45 minutes. Ngidi had struggled for rhythm in the first innings, bowling all eight of his overs from the Pavilion End, with the famous Lord's slope running from left to right. In the second, he bowled his nine overs on the trot, conceding just 35 runs and picking up three wickets. The difference was that he came from the Nursery End with the slope going from right to left, making it easier for him to exploit his natural away movement to right-handed batters. Despite the cluster of wickets falling, all of the tracking data — in terms of seam and swing movement — for the match has played as it usually does, and in some areas with less movement than is typical at Lord's. So what's the reason for 28 wickets falling in two days of cricket? 'I think it's a combination of it being a tricky pitch, but I think when you have six quality seamers on a tricky pitch, it obviously makes batting tough,' said South Africa's highest first innings run-scorer, David Bedingham. Fight back Conditions turned overcast quickly after the tea break, affecting the ease of batting, whereas batting had looked uncomplicated before. Jansen got the first breakthrough after tea, dismissing Labuschagne (22 off 64) exactly as he had in the first innings: caught behind off a full, outswinging delivery outside the off stump. Ngidi got into the action the next over with his first wicket of the match: trapping Smith (13 off 25) LBW with a ball that pitched on the off stump and held its line before carting into his pad. Australia's first-innings hero, Beau Webster (nine off 11), was Ngidi's next victim, rapped on the pad right in front of his stumps as well, the first of three wickets to fall in three overs. Mulder chipped in with his first wicket of the match, striking Travis Head (nine off 11) on his pad before the delivery clattered into his stumps. Pat Cummins (six off five) gifted Ngidi his third of the innings, missing a leg stump half-volley which ricocheted from his front pad on to the wickets. Southpaws Alex Carey (43 off 50) and Mitchell Starc (16* off 47) then rebuilt with a gritty 61-run stand, taking Australia — as scorching sunshine replaced the clouds — to 134 and a lead of 208 before Rabada returned to the attack from the same Nursery End and trapped Carey LBW. The Lord's pitch continued to play lower as the action moved deeper into the day. Six chances dropped short of fielders behind the wicket after tea for South Africa, which led the slip cordon to inch forward towards the end of the day. Jansen dropped a catch off the blade of Starc, bowled by Mulder, that flew straight to him at a close gully off the third-last delivery of the day, which would have seen Australia nine down at stumps. Small margins, big collapse It's those small margins that could prove costly for South Africa in such a low-scoring match. The bowlers have also been ill-disciplined, despite hitting the right lines and lengths, conceding 19 no-balls across the two innings. The Proteas fell away spectacularly in their first batting innings earlier in the day. Before that, they did the first thing they would have spoken about overnight: survive the first hour without any wickets falling. They did that to outstanding effect. Bedingham (45 off 111) and Bavuma (36 off 84) scored 44 in 13 overs before drinks were taken. Conversely, in the 22 overs bowled to the Proteas on the evening of day one, they scored just 43 runs and lost four wickets. Bavuma, though, was dismissed by Cummins immediately before lunch. Kyle Verreynne (13 off 39) and Bedingham saw the team through to the first extended break of the day before chaos broke loose. Cummins went on to get rid of Verreynne and Jansen (nought off three) in one over, as well as Bedingham and Rabada to record six wickets for 28 runs in 18.1 overs. South Africa lost their final five wickets while adding only 12 runs. South Africa will look to get rid of Australia's final two wickets as quickly as possible tomorrow. Regardless, they will need to record the highest innings score of the match to claim victory and the WTC mace from Australia. DM
eNCA
an hour ago
- eNCA
Cummins says bowler-dominated WTC final still a 'good Test'
LONDON - Australia captain Pat Cummins said the World Test Championship final against South Africa was a good advertisement for Test cricket despite hurtling towards a likely finish within three days. An astounding 28 wickets fell across the first two days at Lord's. Fast bowler Cummins played his part by taking a superb 6-28 on Thursday's second day to reach the milestone of 300 Test wickets. But as batsmen on both sides struggled for runs, an eighth-wicket partnership of 61 between Alex Carey (43) and Mitchell Starc (16 not out) enabled reigning champions Australia to reach stumps on 144-8 in their second innings, a lead of 218 with two wickets standing. "It's set up pretty well," Cummins told reporters. "The mood in the changing room is pretty positive. It was a great partnership and a good way to end the day." Asked whether the bowlers' dominance detracted from the occasion of a championship final, Cummins replied: "After two days it's pretty close to 50-50. "It's a pretty good Test match. Some blokes have got themselves in and looked comfortable out there, but a lot of other guys haven't." Cummins said the rapid progress of the match was down to a combination of a tricky pitch and good bowling. "Both teams have bowled really well, really disciplined," he said. "There haven't been many half-volleys." The 32-year-old, appearing in his 68th Test, added: "The trend of the game is that the runs are coming down. It's still pretty difficult out there, but we will have to bowl well tomorrow (Friday)." - 'Durability and longevity' - Cummins was outstanding as South Africa were dismissed for 138, giving Australia a 74-run lead on first innings, with the skipper especially devastating in a potent post-lunch burst of 4-1 in 17 balls. His return on Thursday took Cummins to exactly 300 Test wickets -- something he described as "pretty cool" -- at a miserly average of 22.08. Cummins, just the eighth Australia bowler to reach the landmark, added: "There's not too many on that list. It's something I've always thought about. "It's a pretty good sign of durability and longevity." AFP | Glyn KIRK David Bedingham, who top-scored for South Africa with 45, agreed with Cummins about the standard of bowling. "It's a fairly tricky pitch, but I think when you have six quality seamers on a tricky pitch it obviously makes batting tough." Nevertheless, Bedingham said South Africa remained confident of a successful run chase, even though their target will be signficantly higher than their first-innings total. "It is an amazing chance and we are very excited about the opportunity to win," he said, with South Africa bidding for their first major global title in 28 years. "It could go either way but there is a lot of belief. "I think the pitch is slowing down a bit and maybe in the fourth innings it will go a bit straighter. Hopefully, we can get those runs." cb/jdg/jc
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Plays of the Day at Lord's as 14 wickets fall on day two of Proteas v Australia WTC final
Kagiso Rabada, seen here celebrating taking the wicket of Cameron Green, dismissed Usman Khawaja for the second time at Lord's on Thursday. Photo: AFP Image: AFP Day two saw 14 wickets fall at Lord's in the World Test Championship final between the Proteas and Australia. Ongama Gcwabe highlights the Plays of the Day... Positive intent For a side that had vowed to take the positive approach with the bat since coach Shukri Conrad took over two years ago, recording 43/4 in 22 overs on the opening day was certainly contrary. However, when Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham took to the middle on day two, they showed positive intent, taking full advantage when opportunities came. Bavuma's pull shot for six off Pat Cummins was the only six in the match, a feat that shows just how positive the Proteas batters were on day two. Game-changer After a poor performance with the ball on the opening day, Lungi Ngidi bounced back with a game-changing spell. In his spell, the quick removed Steve Smith, Beau Webster and Pat Cummins to break the game open and hand the Proteas a massive advantage. Ball There is just something special about a right-arm quick bowling around the wicket to a left-handed batter. Kagiso Rabada employed this tactic against Australia's opening batter Usman Khawaja and got the outside edge on day two, dismissing the left-hander twice in the match in the same manner. The ball pitched in the off-stump line and slightly moved away from the left-hander, taking the edge and handing the Proteas their first scalp on day two. Review Steve Smith's half-century in the first innings painted a vivid picture of just how dangerous the right-handed batter is. When Lungi Ngidi trapped him in front, it was sent upstairs, and it came out in favour of South Africa, with Australia's most dangerous batter sent back to the pavilion. No-balls Despite having done a remarkable job with the ball at Lord's, the Proteas fast bowlers have recorded 18 no-balls in the Test match. Given the low-scoring nature of the game, 18 no-balls could be a match-defining feat.
