Amla shows form in warm-up clash
BRIJ PARASNATH Monday, May 30 2016
SOUTH AFRICA’S most dependable batsman Hashim Amla displayed great composure to topscore with 92 as the touring South African team compiled 280 runs for nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs, in their warm-up match against the West Indies President’s XI at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair yesterday.
The WICB President’s XI was 39 for two after 11 overs when rain stopped play at 5.56 pm. Play resumed 25 minutes later and at press time the home team moved to 104 for two after 19 overs.
Trinidad and Tobago’s dashing opener Evin Lewis looked in ominous form and smashed five boundaries and two consecutive sixes off stand-in captain and off-spinner JP Duminy. He was unbeaten on 54 while another left-hander, WI youth captain Shimron Hetmyer, was also shaping well and was undefeated on 24.
The day-night fixture is the lone warm-up match for the visitors who are using the Oval as their training base before they fly over to Guyana where the first three matches of the Tri-Nations series - scheduled to begin on June 3 - will take place.
Duminy, leading the South African outfit in place of regular captain AB DeVilliers, won the toss and elected to bat first on an easy-paced pitch.
The right-handed Amla who appeared in 131 ODIs (tallying 6,204 runs at an average of 52.13), displayed his class in rallying the South Africans to a decent total.
He stroked one six and 10 fours off 83 balls and shared in a 106- run third wicket stand with Farhaan Behardien (36) before he was adjudged leg-before to Damion Jacobs. The Jamaican leg-spinner emerged as the West Indies President’s XI most successful bowler with four for 53 while veteran pacer Rayad Emrit had 2/72.
Other useful scores for South Africa were Kyle Abbott (43) and Aaron Phangiso (34 not out).
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