Srinagar: South Africa batting legend Hashim Amla has named picks for the greatest batters in cricket history, naming legends from South Africa, India and the West Indies.
Currently in England representing the South Africa Champions in the World Championship of Legends, Amla shared his choices in a recent interview.
“There are so many over the years. Growing up, my three favourite players were Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, and Jacques Kallis, also being from South Africa,” Amla shared.
Amla picked Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Sir Vivian Richards as his modern-day greats for a World XI, highlighting a mix of contemporary and classic brilliance.
“Maybe three other names: you’ve got Virat (Kohli) in recent times, AB de Villiers, and I’d say one more old one Sir Vivian Richards,” he added.
Amla is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s greatest-ever batters. He played 124 Tests, 181 ODIs, and 44 T20Is, scoring 18,672 international runs between 2004 and 2019.
His tally includes 28 Test centuries, with a career-best score of 311 not out against England at The Oval in 2012, the 2nd highest individual Test score by a South African.
In ODIs, Amla scored 8,113 runs, including a record 27 centuries, the most by any South African in the format. He averaged 49.46 in ODIs and 33.60 in T20Is.
Amla retired from international cricket on August 8, 2019, following his last appearance for South Africa against Bangladesh during the 2019 World Cup.