Hashim Amla becomes the fastest man to score 6000 runs

REUTERS SA’s Hashim Amla watches the ball after playing a shot during the fifth and final ODI against India in Mumbai on Sunday. Both teams have been 150 for 2 in 30 overs often, so it has been good going by the top order. Dale Steyn has the same number of wickets but has played one match more than Morkel. Amla said past records will not make much of a difference.

“I don’t think Morne is fit enough to play tomorrow. He bowled a bit in the nets and probably we will take the final call tomorrow, but I don’t think he will be fit”, Amla said. Like when foreign teams come to South Africa, they are expecting a little bit of seam and bounce and a different skill is challenged.

“Losing JP will affect us; he has been an unbelievably consistent performer”.

Amla, who has struggled to score runs in the ongoing ODI series against India, required 15 runs before the start of the fifth ODI. He lends good balance to the team with his off-spinners as well. Having seven frontline batsmen has been a working formula for us and around JP Duminy it does change things for us.

It is rare to see Hashim Amla not leading the run chart. I have been batting well, most of the innings I have managed to get a little bit of the flow going and getting myself out all the time. “We used to get quite big scores before because of the extra guy in the circle, and now the scores have come down a bit”. But it will be great if I can get a few runs tomorrow (Sunday). As a batsman, you always want to contribute towards your team’s success.

The last time the South Africans came close to winning a series in India was in 2005-06, but the hosts levelled the series at Wankhede Stadium, the same venue for today’s tie, as the series ended 2-2 with the third match in Chennai being abandoned. We’ve managed to win four games out of six and it’s good for us.