DP World Lions batting coach Hashim Amla (centre) warns that the rise of T20 cricket is degrading batting techniques for red-ball formats, stressing the need to guide South Africa's young talent toward multi-format success. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
While global cricket continues its aggressive pivot toward lucrative T20 competitions, the overwhelming frequency of short-format games is actively undermining red-ball development, warns DP World Lions batting coach Hashim Amla.
“They have challenges with the amount of T20 cricket that is played. From a batting perspective, it does impact their batting techniques and the skill levels required to handle four-day cricket,” Amla explained in an exclusive interview with IOL.
Amla himself was once unfairly pigeonholed as a red-ball specialist early in his career with the Proteas. He dramatically silenced critics by becoming the fastest player in history to reach every 1,000-run ODI milestone from 2,000 to 7,000 runs.
His early journey, however, was forged through red-ball patience. When Amla made his Test debut for South Africa in 2004, sceptics immediately questioned his technique. Managing a top score of just 35 in his first four Tests, the 21-year-old faced immense pressure to perform. He answered by becoming the foundation of the Proteas' batting lineup, piling on runs across 15 dominant years.
