2 minute read The human brain isn’t wired for statistics. In fact it isn’t wired at all. Perhaps that’s the problem. Maybe in the distant future when we’re all mechanically enhanced cyberfolk we’ll be able to make logical decisions based on data rather than being influenced by our demented emotional responses to stories
Continue readingTag: Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla – the other best batsman in the world
2 minute read Cricket loves to rank things. You’d think the whole point of a cricket match was to determine which of two teams was the better, but apparently that’s not enough. Cricket also wants to know how the teams involved compare to all other current sides and how each of the players
Continue readingThey’re playing Hashim Amla’s song
< 1 minute read During Sunday’s play, the England and South Africa supporters did a duet, trading verses of their respective Moeen Ali/Hashim Amla songs which both employ the tune of No Limits by 2 Unlimited. It was really rather entertaining – although they persisted for so long that we can still hear it
Continue readingHashim Amla practises his forward defensive
< 1 minute read Facing his 46th delivery, Hashim Amla inside-edged the ball past his stumps and into space. Trawling through his memory banks, he happened upon the correct course of action and moved his body up to the other end. With the ball still enjoying a rare moment of liberation, he then jogged
Continue readingDissecting ‘momentum’ for the millionth time
< 1 minute read Ahead of the third Test between South Africa and Australia, Hashim Amla has said: “There’s a lot riding on the last Test and fortunately we’ve got a bit of momentum.” Let’s very quickly examine how ‘momentum‘ has influenced the series thus far. Australia won the first Test and thus gained
Continue readingHashim Amla WILL NOT GO AWAY
< 1 minute read We really like Hashim Amla, but by the box of Dujon, will he EVER stop batting? There’s one more match this summer and we have every reason to believe that he’ll bat out the overs and make a hundred. It seems the most likely outcome, even if it’s another nine
Continue readingHashim Amla is a bit too good
< 1 minute read Hashim Amla is not new. He’s been bearding hundreds for many years now. It is therefore no surprise that his second innings hundred tipped the balance from ‘could go either way’ to ‘very probably a South Africa win’. Vernon Philander’s two late wickets then shoved it to ‘almost certainly a
Continue readingEnduring South African flawlessness with the bat
< 1 minute read We’re not a fan of batting. Fours and sixes elicit an approving nod of the head, but they don’t move us in the same way as wickets. This has perhaps been compounded by a period of Test cricket that lasted until recently in which huge scores became the norm. That
Continue readingHashim Amla beards 253 not out
< 1 minute read Hashim Amla bearded India all round the park in bearding 253 not out. Bearding for most of the day, his bearding was immaculate throughout. Amla did struggle to beard against Amit Mishra for a while, but he bearded that problem by bearding his head down and bearding before bearding other
Continue readingSouth Africa’s strongest batting line-up
< 1 minute read Not so long ago, this South Africa batting line-up looked stronger than Geoff Capes crossed with a grizzly bear. Now? Not so much. Ashwell Prince isn’t an opener; Hashim Amla might as well paint a bullseye on his front leg; while if JP Duminy could ever get past his first
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