“Hashim is a great player and he knows what to do to get back to form”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

South Africa pace bowler Kagiso Rabada has backed veteran batsman Hashim Amla to overcome his dismal run of form as of late.

Amla has not failed to record a fifty in his last 10 Test innings, but he has came close on three occasions as he made scores of 45, 47 and 48.

While this has led to some questioning whether he should keep his place in the squad, especially with AB de Villiers close to making a full recovery from elbow surgery, Rabada feels that dropping Amla would be a grave mistake.

“He’s not a robot,” Rabada said. “He’s not going to play well all the time. Hashim is a great player and he knows what to do to get back to form.

“We’ve got other players who can step up, although we do rely on him. He’s one of the key players in our team because of what he’s done in the past and his leadership, experience and the type of person that he is.

“You don’t do so well for so long by fluke, so he knows what to do to get back.”

Amla is set to play his 100th Test match for South Africa in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Johannesburg on January 12.