JOIN USOur preparation has been good, says Amla
South Africa had an unexpected guest at their training session on Wednesday here at the Dhaka Academy.
Spin legend Shane Warne, in a pair of shorts, made his way to the Proteas’ practice in the morning and turned over his arm for a few minutes against JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock at the ‘nets’ before holding a brief chat with the two batsmen. The former Australian leg-spinner also shared his expertise with South African leggie Imran Tahir.
The South African camp expressed its surprise at the visit by the Australian, who is here as a part of the commentary panel for World T20. “Well, a lot of us guys were surprised to see him at the nets today,” said Hashim Amla. “May be he was getting bored sitting at the hotel and came over to have a bowl.”
It remains to be seen how much the South African batsmen and spinners will be benefitted by Warne’s presence but Amla expressed happiness with their preparation for the second semifinal against India to be played here on Friday. “The preparation has been good. Obviously, we had some time before the semifinal. We got some time to rest after back to back games.”
Amla wasn’t too bothered about drawing India, the only undefeated team in the tournament so far, in the last-four match. “I think whatever you get drawn in, it’s out of your hand. Any team can win on a given day. It’s a good opportunity for us. We have played some good cricket and we have won some close games. That is as hard as our team has ever been,” he noted.
Considered to be fit only for the traditional formats, Amla has managed to carve a place for himself in the T20s as well. “It depends on what team needs at that time,” he said of his approach in T20s. “The game has to be set up. Our job is to play positively batting upfront and give the team a good start.
Some days it works and some days it doesn’t. I think it’s all about assessing situations of the game and playing according to it. It’s not only about scoring quicker upfront but you have to see what your partner is doing. I am enjoying my role in T20’s and enjoying this period and experience,” he offered.