South Africa vs Sri Lanka 2016, 2nd Test, day 1 - 5 Talking Points

#2 Hashim Amla's start-stop innings

Amla showed flashes of brilliance but ultimately succumbed

Hashim Amla has been in poor form right from the beginning of 2016. His average had dipped during the Indian series and he has failed to register a single half-century since then. The closest he came to achieving the feat was when he scored the 48 in Port Elizabeth.

Before the Newlands Test, South Africa took the help of their veteran all-rounder, Jacques Kallis, who watched Amla bat and felt a big score was around the corner. He was timing the ball well and the hunger was still there, according to the former Kolkata Knight Riders player.

Amla started this innings cautiously and was beginning to look like his old self, similar to Port Elizabeth. But the similarities did not end there as he was dismissed in a similar manner as well. The South African left a gaping hole between bat and pad, which allowed Lahiru Kumara’s delivery to burst through.