Published: Jan 07, 2016, 03:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 07, 2016, 03:10 PM (IST)
Johannesburg: South African coach Russell Domingo has hit back at the critics of outgoing Test skipper Hashim Amla, describing the comments as ‘harsh’. Amla had stepped down as Proteas Test skipper following the second Test against England at Newlands on Wednesday. Considering Amla as `one of the greatest players` of South Africa, Domingo believes that the 32-year-old hadn’t earned enough respect for what he had achieved during his career, Sport24 reported. Domingo further backed Amla’s captaincy record, saying that he had averaged 45 and that he had managed to win the series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka which no other skipper had done. FULL SCORECARD: South Africa vs England, 2nd Test at Cape Town
The coach further called on the people to appreciate the contribution Amla had made over the years, insisting that he had sacrificed himself for his team. Echoing similar views, Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat also agreed that the comments against Amla were ‘unfair and harsh’. Earlier, Amla’s leadership came under sharp criticism since the start of the England series but he returned to form with the bat, scoring 201 in the first innings at Newlands. Hashim Amla thanks fans for support after resigning as South Africa Test captain
This was Amla’s sixth series as South African skipper after he took over the captaincy from Graeme Smith in mid-2014. After winning his first three series against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and West Indies, he oversaw a rain-affected drawn series against Bangladesh and the 3-0 defeat in India. With his resignation, swashbuckling batsman AB de Villiers will be captaining the side in the final two Tests of the series in Johannesburg and Centurion.
