The 39-year-old called time on his professional cricket career on Wednesday (January 18), bringing to an end a legendary career spanning more than two decades and featuring 34,104 runs across formats
AB de Villiers has penned a poignant tribute to Hashim Amla following the retirement of his former teammate from professional cricket at the age of 39.
Amla called time on a career spanning more than two decades and featuring 34,104 runs across formats on Wednesday (January 18) after opting not to return to Surrey next summer.
Of his 349 South Africa outings, the joint-most came with AB de Villiers who appeared alongside The Proteas icon on 277 occasions.
Amla and De Villiers were part of the all-conquering South Africa side from 2012 (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
"Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy," he wrote on Twitter. "Might take me a few days, weeks, months, years.
"I can literally write a book about you.
"Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You’ve always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways.
Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy. Might take me a few days, weeks, months, years.
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 18, 2023
I can literally write a book about you.
Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You’ve always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways.
So, today, I salute you my friend. You served the game to perfection! We can all learn from that. I did
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 18, 2023
I wish I could bat with you one more time.
"Your journey wasn't easy. 'The guy with the weird technique'. 'He'll never last', 'He'll never be consistent'.
"But then, in your own very unique way, you just walked out there, time and time again and just batted, like only you can. Calm, composed, consistent, gutsy, skilful and humble, always for the team, for your country. You inspired me in a way I can’t explain.
"So, today, I salute you my friend. You served the game to perfection! We can all learn from that. I did.
"I wish I could bat with you one more time."
Amla and De Villiers were staples of The Proteas side for more than a decade (Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
Though Amla and De Villiers were unable to break South Africa's World Cup duck, they did achieve greatness in 2012 by helping the team top the ICC rankings in all three forms of the game.
A true all-format player with the third-most runs for South Africa across Tests, one-day internationals and T20Is, Amla also registered 55 international hundreds, the sixth-most in history.
In ODI cricket he is the fastest man to reach 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 and 7,000 runs.
He transferred his dependable technique to the T20 format with aplomb, averaging 30.83 in 164 matches and hitting two centuries, both in the Indian Premier League.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.