The cricket crisis in South Africa is no longer a secret. If there were concerns about a vacuum being created in the batting department, with the retirement of the stalwarts like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, they were verified in the recently concluded test series after their crushing defeat at the hands of India.
While the downturn was lamented by pundits, Amla believes it’s a matter of time before the Proteas make a strong comeback. He is willing to come back in a coaching role and help young batsmen in the squad.
The former skipper, speaking to IANS, said that the long-term plan is to get back to helping young batters. He thinks this is a process every team is going through when it needs to rebuild after a few senior players retire.
Amla Said, “I have just retired and while we were playing we did try to help out the kids. In terms of youngsters coming in, you can have one or two guys lead the team. The South African team does have the experience, you have Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis as well as Kagiso Rabada. These guys have played over the years. In terms of us getting back, this is something I enjoyed (batting) and I enjoy getting involved with young batsmen and that was always my intention, to be involved.”
Amla, considered one of the best batsmen to play the game, feels this Indian bowling line-up makes the Indian team nearly invincible, especially at home.
Asked about where the Proteas bowlers were going wrong, he said: “When you are touring away from home, you need many bowlers who are at the top of their game. We at the moment. KG is a world-class bowler, Vernon Philander is a world-class bowler..are not at the top of our game. This is a learning curve that the young players will go through, and we also did go through this in our careers. Those are stepping stones to become a quality side. You have to go through the tough times to appreciate the good times.”
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