Is Hashim Amla the best batsman in the world?

Hashim Amla has had a pretty good start to 2010. Indeed, so far Amla is having an Annus mirabilis.

The scourge of India has now become the tormentor of the West Indies as the runs keep piling up in both test, one day international and also in a brief sojourn with Nottinghamshire; in Division 1 of the County Championship.

As we wrote in the aftermath of his Bradmanesque exploits in India, we are big fans of Amla here at the Reverse Sweep. Now we would go as far to suggest that on the form he has produced this year, he is currently the best batsman in the world.

Fans of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag or even Tamim Iqbal may disagree, but Amla's stats for the first year of the new decade (or the last year of the noughties, depending on your standpoint) are hard to argue against.

In test cricket, Amla has 678 runs at an average of 168.50. In one day internationals, he has 478 runs from six matches at 79.66, and for Nottinghamshire he scored at least 50 in five of his six innings to finish with an average of 75.40. Eat your heart out Don Bradman.

And this is no flash in the pan. After initially struggling in his first 15 tests (1 century), Amla has played 28 tests since the start of November 2007 and scored over 2500 runs at an average a tick over 62 with nine centuries. Whilst in one day internationals, he averages 55.25 from 28 matches with a strike rate of over 88.

Perhaps it is time Amla got the respect he is obviously due.

Comments

[Mahek]

My dad and I were talking about this in the morning. It's a pretty close call between Tendulkar and Amla. In the past 12 months Tendulkar has played all but one of his international innings outside the subcontinent, while Amla's innings outside the subcontinent have been at home and in the Caribbean against a mediocre Windies side. In terms of pure numbers, Tendulkar has 8 hundreds in 26 innings to Amla's 6 in 22. Amla, however, has the better average with his 77.65 edging Tendulkar's 72.18. It could also be because Tendulkar has 16 ODI innings to Amla's 12. Both have an equal number of test innings in this period.

[greyblazer]

Amla bats like Laxman as he is wristy and plays very late.

The bearded wonder from South Africa!

[The Reverse Sweep]

A very close call I agree Mahek. Amla has got sbout another seventeen years to go though to match Sachin for his consistency. But let's just say that both would be in a current test and ODI World XI - or at least they should be!

[The Reverse Sweep]

A wonderful player to watch and one that is having an incredible year

[Shridhar Jaju]

It was impressive to see him score so effortlessly at more than run a ball during his century in the 4th ODI. He is in the form of his life and South Africa would desperately want it to continue till 2011 World Cup.

[Mock Wah]

My oh my those numbers are nasty!!

[The Reverse Sweep]

and with Amla's wristy style just perfect for the slow turners of the sub-continent, it could be a decent bet to wager that Amla will finish as the leading runscorer

[The Reverse Sweep]

Fantastic numbers. If he keeps it up he could soon be known as 'Bradman with a beard'