OPINION: It is rare to come across a genuine gem like Hashim Amla

It is rare to come across a truly great sports star who is also an absolutely genuine human being who values modesty and respect for others as highly as they do success.

Hashim Amla is one of those gems and he has rightly been lauded from far and wide following his announcement that his playing days are now officially over. English county Surrey were the last team to have the benefit of his wisdom and class on the field, and he helped them to the Division One title with 718 runs at an average of 39.88.

Read more: Proteas ‘great’ Hashim Amla calls time on career

It was great to see the 39-year-old, who last played in South Africa in April 2019 and retired from the Proteas after the World Cup that year, go out on a high.

One of the cleanest ball-strikers and most elegant of strokeplayers, it was a joy to watch the wristy genius in action. But the aesthetics should not detract from the high level of skill Amla showed in often reinventing his game.

Not only did he bounce back from being dropped from the national team, amidst wild criticism of his backlift and technique, but he became the centrepiece of the South African batting line-up, scoring 9282 Test runs, second only to Jacques Kallis, at an average of 46.64.

He was initially not considered a suitable limited-overs player, but he was behind only Kallis and AB de Villiers in scoring 8113 runs at an average of 49.46 and a strike-rate of 88.39 – extraordinary figures that compare with the very best in the format.

Read more: AB de Villiers leads tributes to Hashim Amla – ‘I salute you’

Apart from marvelling over his batting skills, I have fond memories of many interviews with Amla, who was always thoughtful and open with his answers. Even when he would have a bad day as captain, he would keep the same unflustered, calm and kind persona.

Team-mates have spoken

Team-mates have spoken of Amla having a well-developed sense of humour and nobody has a bad word for the Durban-born hero.

MI Cape Town have the benefit of his expertise at the moment as a batting coach, and it is really hoped that he remains strongly involved in South African cricket. Amla has a treasure-trove of cricketing wisdom to hand on to the new generation.