“Whoever wants to play Test cricket and they’re good enough, they’ll get to 100 Test matches”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Hashim Amla became just the eighth player in history to represent South Africa in 100 Test matches on Thursday, but he feels as if he won’t be the last person to accomplish the feat.

The 33-year-old’s comments come after captain Faf du Plessis said that the veteran batsman could very well be the last Proteas player to feature in 100 Tests, given the amount of limited overs cricket played nowadays and the rise of domestic Twenty20 tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League (BBL).

But, Amla, who made his 100th Test match that much more special by scoring an unbeaten 125 against Sri Lanka on the first day in Johannesburg, insisted that more players will match his rare milestone if they “have a desire to play Test cricket”.

“Whoever wants to play Test cricket and they’re good enough, they’ll get to 100 Test matches,” he said. “You just have to have a desire to play Test cricket and to play for the Proteas, which is an absolute honour.

“Faf has made that call, I think, because of scheduling and if guys are involved in other tournaments around the world … fatigue etc. … but Test cricket for me has always been the pinnacle.

“So if somebody else has that type of vision there is no doubt that there will be some youngster in our team who is going to get there.”

Pace bowler Dale Steyn is most likely to be next in line to feature in 100 Tests as he currently has 85 to his name, but he is not expected to make his comeback until July as he underwent shoulder surgery in November.

As for the younger talents in the squad, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock and pace bowler Kagiso Rabada also seem to have a chance of representing their country in 100 Tests. However, the pair have a long way to go as they have featured in 16 and 14 Test matches respectively, which includes the ongoing one against Sri Lanka.