South Africa Cricket

Hashim Amla scored more runs across all formats than any other player in the month of July. With 455 runs in seven innings and three hundreds across all formats, Amla was the best and most valuable batsman over the course of the month's 31 days.

But he wasn’t the only batsman to impress during this time. Gary Ballance, Murali Vijay and Angelo Mathews were all important players for their teams. Here is a list of the top five run-scorers across all formats for the month of July.

Selecting the best batsman of July was a precarious task. England and India have only played Tests this month, and both Ballance and Vijay have impressed for their teams.

Vijay has been particularly crafty at the top of the Indian order in English conditions. The 30-year-old has averaged over 60.00 on India’s tour of England already, but he has arguably not played a “match-winning” knock.

The task of selecting the best batsman of the month becomes even more tricky when looking at the Test statistics alone. Ajinkya Rahane has settled into his lower-order role nicely, and Angelo Mathews features in the top run-getters, too.

Despite the fact that Amla does not feature in this list, picking the batsman of the month considers more aspects than simply the number of runs scored in a certain time period. 

His impact for South Africa was evident in the one-day series and the Test series against Sri Lanka. In the ODIs, he scored two hundreds to help propel South Africa to their first-ever ODI series win in the country.

Despite not being able to make it three hundreds on the trot in the ODIs, Amla’s impact with the bat was immense throughout the series.

It takes a special kind of player to be able to score such a vast number of runs, especially in conditions where foreign batsmen are known to struggle. 

Amla was also picked because of his impact in the Test series. His first Test outing as captain didn't go so well with the bat, scoring just 11 and 22, but it is when Amla was really under pressure that he stood out.

South Africa were in desperate need of a rearguard special in the second Test, and their captain provided that. His unbeaten 139 for which he laboured over eight overs for, helped South Africa to take time out of the Test to get back to some sort of steady ground.

Amla kept his head, while all around him his team-mates were losing theirs. In the second innings, he didn't manage many runs, scoring just 25, but once again it was the amount of time Amla spent at the crease that made his impact so important.

His efforts have also earned him a rise in the ICC's batting rankings. Although those should be taken with a pinch of salt, Amla's efforts to help South Africa save the Test in Colombo are undeniable. 

Overall, no other batsman solely impacted the fate of their team as much as Amla impacted South Africa's, and that is why he is the batsman of the month for July 2014.

When Gary Kirsten was in charge of the South African team, he used to talk about “absorbing and transferring pressure.”

He’d use these buzzwords whenever South Africa were in a spot of bother. Whether that was after a bad day in the field or in real tough times like during their tour of Australia back in 2012. Kirsten is no longer coach, but he was with the team for the second Test match against Sri Lanka, and there is no doubt that he would have been talking about absorbing and transferring pressure.

South Africa did just that on day five in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and they came out on top of the world in the end. Although the Test ended a draw, the series win was enough for South Africa to regain the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket.

South Africa draw Test, jump2 number 1 #SriLanka #SouthAfrica http://t.co/ZLZ8X3jFn8 pic.twitter.com/oPfRBtUmCv

— NewsWall SouthAfrica (@NewsWallCoZa) July 28, 2014

That ranking was taken away from them earlier in the year, without any team actually bowling a ball. Australia toppled them from their perch, and whether that was deserved is still up for debate. What cannot be disputed is that South Africa are the indisputable No. 1 team right now.

They have not lost a Test series away from home since 2006.

They have lost just eight Tests out of 42 since the start of 2009 and lost just one series in that time period.

They have had their backs against the wall and they have bounced back from that time and time again.

They have won in Sri Lanka having lost both Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.

No ordinary team can achieve such things. This South African team, although not without its faults, is extraordinary, almost as extraordinary as the Test they just completed.

The tense nature of the match ensured that it was enchanting, even when nothing was happening. For what seemed like an endless amount of time, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers knuckled down and batted for very few runs. 

From the 34th over, the run rate never edged above 2.00 as Sri Lanka’s spinners stymied the scoring and turned the screws.

The wickets fell, here and there, and the Test became pregnant with expectation.

Depending on which side of the fence you were on, that expectation ranged either from Sri Lanka’s spinners doing the job or South Africa’s batsmen proving their mettle.

It was the kind of Test that forced you to stay glued to your seat, just in case you might miss the one key event that so rarely appeared. The batsmen had the formula all figured out: block, block, block, unplayable ball, block, block.

The bowling rarely deviated from that formula, and South Africa guarded their wickets like they were solid gold. Sri Lanka’s spinners tried tirelessly to prise that gold from their grasp.

For lovers of the longest format of the game, it was a Test match to remember with tension that made your skin crawl and excitement over nothing actually happening. As the clock continued to tick over and the overs began to run out, Amla admitted that the nerves were shattered in the dressing room and fingernails were being bitten to smithereens. 

Imran Tahir being helped from the ground after his heroic cramping helped South Africa regain the #1 Test ranking pic.twitter.com/YlqOiTzoTV

— Dennis Does Cricket (@FreedmanDennis) July 28, 2014

By the time there was just one over left, South Africa’s Imran Tahir was apparently so tense that he pulled up with a cramp and required the physio. He survived—both the cramp and the final over—and South Africa had yet another notch in their ever-bulging belt.

Their rearguard and character is something that is becoming the hallmark of this team, and it’s something that will be remembered for years to come.

Quotes obtained firsthand and statistics from ESPNCricinfo.

South Africa secured top position in the ICC Test rankings as they held on to draw the second Test with Sri Lanka in Colombo.

The Proteas, who started the final day on 38-1 in pursuit of a nominal 369 for victory, finished on 159-8 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground as they dug in for a draw.

South Africa, who won the series 1-0 after victory in the opening match in Galle, now usurp Australia at the top of the standings.

The tourists took Dean Elgar for 13 in a truncated morning session, the first of three wickets for Dilruwan Perera.

They slipped to 104-4 at tea with Quinton de Kock (37) and AB de Villiers (12) falling to Rangana Herath.

The nerves began to set in as captain and first-innings centurion Hashim Amla (25) fell to Perera in the fourth over of the evening session.

Just four overs after that, Faf du Plessis (10) became Herath's fourth wicket of the innings.

Later, in the first over of the final hour, JP Duminy was trapped lbw by Perera after a painstaking three.

It took a further nine overs before Herath picked up his fifth wicket, inducing Dale Steyn to edge behind for six.

However, Vernon Philander (27) and Imran Tahir (4) saw out the final 20 minutes to secure top spot in the world. 

Adelaide 2012 and Johannesburg 2013 will both be in South Africa’s minds when they step out to try and save the second Test against Sri Lanka on Monday. The South Africans will be required to bat for a minimum of 98 overs needing an unlikely 331 runs to win the second Test. A spin inquisition awaits a side who once again have to show that their resilience is not on par with toilet paper.

Having folded in their first innings, South Africa face an uphill battle to survive until the end of play tomorrow, but they have already made it clear that they are thinking ahead.

After Alviro Petersen failed yet again, Quinton de Kock was promoted up the order to help guard the likes of Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers for Monday’s big dig. It will be a big test for De Kock, something he seems to have encountered quite regularly in his brief career so far as a Test player. Patience is not one of his virtues but in the dying minutes of the fourth day, he showed admirable intent.

In stark contrast, Petersen’s performances in this series have been nothing short of dubious.

As a senior player, more was expected of him, especially considering Petersen played a part in helping South Africa save the Test against India in Johannesburg last year with a three-and-a-half-hour stint at the top of the order.

However, his performances have been grossly inconsistent in the last year-and-a-half. When his side needed him most this time, he flapped and failed. Petersen has not scored a hundred since January 2013. He has passed fifty just thrice since then and averages just 23.25 in his last 21 innings. His early departure now leaves the initial task up to two rookies.

Time and wickets will be a precious commodity for the visitors tomorrow. They need to avoid defeat in order to wrap up the series 1-0 and regain their No. 1 ranking from Australia.

But the task, however steep, is hardly one that’s unfamiliar to them. They have been here twice before in the last two years, twice before they have managed to find a way to claw themselves out of a very big hole.

When South Africa fought so valiantly in Adelaide back in 2012, they said that everything was broken up into mini sessions.

Survive an over, survive until the drinks break and then, survive until the innings break.

Time slowed down, runs became irrelevant and survival became the one and only goal. The scoreboard moved along painstakingly slow and De Villiers and Du Plessis were pictures of concentration as they laboured for 68 overs for an 89-run partnership accrued over almost 12 hours at the crease between them. By the sheer definition of “Test” cricket, there is no greater test than that.

There is not much difference this time around.

With the pitch offering just enough turn and Sri Lanka packed with men who can turn it, South Africa face a stern test of character.

The task needs to be broken down into digestible chunks. First, De Kock needs to try and bat until lunch. As much as his cavalier urges might consume him, there will be zero tolerance for being irresponsible.

Should he manage to suppress his natural game for long enough, South Africa might even start thinking about going for the improbable win, but that should not be the first priority.

This is a team who have been constantly ridiculed for how they handle pressure in limited overs knockout games, but this is Test cricket. And this is a team who have shown before that they have the mettle to push through the tough times in the longest format of the game. This is another such opportunity and, if they manage to pull it off, it will come with the fitting reward of being No. 1 in the world once again.

Quotes obtained firsthand, stats via ESPN Cricinfo.

If ever you need a dictionary definition of calm, just turn to Hashim Amla.

Ask any of his teammates how they perceive him, and they will probably share a simple one-word answer: cool. Amla doesn’t flinch, no matter what the situation is. His first century as captain, coming against Sri Lanka in the second Test at Colombo, could not have come under more intense pressure, but Amla simply absorbed it and then transferred that pressure back onto his opposition.

No less significantly, he showed his teammates that there are runs in this pitch but far more important than runs was time. He inspired a few others to dig in and get set, although the runs did not quite come for them.

The run rate ebbed and flowed and rarely passed 3.00, and with South Africa in a spot of bother, Amla made it clear that he was taking it upon himself to save the situation. The formula is simple: If it’s bad, block it; if it’s fine, knock it down and take your time.

He contributed almost half of South Africa's first-innings total—139 runs out of 282—and he spent more than eight hours doing so. The 291 dot balls in his innings did not faze him; however, they seemed to trouble his teammates. After the flurry of early-innings wickets, South Africa needed to fight back, and they did—to a point.

South Africa have been here and done that before in Test matches past. Digging in when their backs are against the wall seems to be a speciality of their time at the top, but to make that successful, everyone in the side needs to play their part.

Amla played his and even stepped in for one or two of his colleagues who failed. Alviro Petersen, Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock all looked completely dumbstruck by the mere presence of spinners, despite the fact that they were about as threatening as a toothless lapdog.

Faf du Plessis fell to a good catch behind the wickets, and AB de Villiers showed some staying power but was eventually beaten by a ball that turned just enough. De Kock forgot that he was supposed to use his feet when batting and was dismissed before he had time to find his inner Geoffrey Boycott.   

JP Duminy and Amla did a fine impression of how to value your wicket, but eventually, Duminy just got too frustrated and desperate for runs and tried to take on the spinner.

Amid all this frenzy, Amla was a statue of calm, weaving a web of safety not just around his wicket but also South Africa’s Test prospects. There are two days left in the Test, around 180 overs at most. The weather forecast is looking as threatening as it has been throughout the Test, but these factors should not play on the minds of the South Africans.

Instead, they should be thinking about why they did not follow their leader, why they failed to parrot what was such a plain and simple solution. Maybe, just maybe, Amla’s efforts will have been enough to have had a significant impact on the end result of this Test. But what is most important is that South Africa learn from his efforts and make sure they do as their captain says and as he does in the second innings.

In his famous collection of epigrams, Some Fruits of Solitude, William Penn once wrote that time is what we all want but what we use worst. He’s clearly never watched Amla bat under the cosh.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

South Africa's bid to return to the top of the world Test rankings were dented on Day 2 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

After the hosts extended their first-innings total to 421, the Proteas could only reach 98-3 in their reply at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.

South Africa crumbled to 23-2 at tea—Alviro Petersen offered Rangana Herath a return catch in the second over after making just two and Dean Elgar was caught at short leg off Dilruwan Perera, having made a single.

Faf du Plessis and captain Hashim Amla launched a revival, but debutant keeper Niroshan Dickwella took a superb catch down the leg-side off Suranga Lakmal to dismiss the former for 36.

Amla (46) and AB de Villiers (11) saw the tourists through to stumps without further loss.

Sri Lanka earlier added 116 runs after resuming on 305-5 with Mahela Jayawardene run out for 165 after a direct hit from Petersen.

Imran Tahir finally picked up a wicket when Perera (12) picked out mid-on. Dickwella then missed out on a debut century as he was also run out with a direct hit for 72.

The tail failed to wag with Vernon Philander mopping up the final two wickets.

SA, who won the first Test in Galle, need to avoid defeat to usurp Australia at the summit of the rankings. 

When Dale Steyn was asked the same sort of questions at the close of play press conference on Sunday, after his South Africa side defeated Sri Lanka, he simply said that the papers will show that they won regardless.

For the cynical, though, it would be easy to dismiss the grand 153-run win in Galle as something which is now stained because of the incident involving Vernon Philander on day three. Proteas bowler Philander was fined 75 percent of his match fee, as per Wisden India, after he was seen scratching the ball on TV footage, which was not aired until late on day five.

Anyone who saw the footage would be hard pressed to try and say that Philander didn’t know what he was doing. When coach Russell Domingo was ushered to the press conference on day four, he was adamant it’s not something the team does deliberately. He said that he doesn’t think South Africa are getting a reputation.

We try to play the game in the right spirit. It’s not something we set out to do. I’m sure that other sides are better at doing it than we are. Maybe it’s something we should cut it out completely. But at the same time, I haven’t seen the footage so it’s difficult to comment on. The umpires say the condition of the ball wasn’t changed at all, and that says it all.

The "it" he speaks of, is changing the condition of the ball, legally or otherwise. The otherwise is where the problem comes in and the lines become blurred.

Throwing the ball onto the pitch deliberately is also in contravention of the law and should carry the same fine. Yet nobody is ever punished for it. Teams have the ball changed, get a warning by the umpire and things move on. Does that mean a little bit of tampering is allowed, despite it being written that it is not allowed?

South Africa, though, now do have a reputation. It is the second time in nine months that they have been caught in this kind of controversy. Faf du Plessis was fined for it against Pakistan and, although Philander was involved too, he escaped punishment, again as per Wisden India.

For some, this will leave a bitter taste, but to suggest that this now taints the entire win is somewhat convoluted. The win came through more than just a fiery Dale Steyn spell. The South African batsmen scored runs, Hashim Amla made a pragmatic declaration by South African standards and Quinton de Kock took more catches than any other keeper in their first Test.

That South Africa were silly enough to get caught again in a short space of time is concerning. Yet, the big sticking point is that the match officials in this particular instance did not see anything wrong with the state of the ball. It was never changed and it was only because of TV footage that a charge was laid in the first place. That does not make it right, but it does offer some insight into how easy it is to get away with.

The overall result might not be tainted, but South Africa need to be more careful in dealing with these situations and, of course, in managing the ball. 

Quotes obtained first hand.