The Bearded Wonder may have had a torrid time of it in 2015, the 32-year-old failing dismally in India as the Proteas batting frailties against spin were laid bare for all to see.

Roll on 2016 though and his first visit to the crease yielded a double ton, Amla joining forces with the Proteas middle order to stave off defeat in a match that will forever be remembered for the feats of Ben Stokes and Temba Bavuma.

It came as a surprise to many then that, with the draw secured and some momentum gained ahead of the third test in Jozi, Hash decided to step down as captain with immediate effect. TimesLive with more:

Amla says that the decision ultimately came as a result of him feeling that he was no longer the best man for the job.

“The decision has been purely based on that I think somebody else could do a better job,” he said.

“I’ve always wanted to be somebody who leads from the front and I think throughout the captaincy I’ve managed to do that most of the time.

“It was just something I thought about, that crossed my mind and has been working on my mind. My leadership style … we have a very young team … I kind of felt that maybe somebody else would do a better job.”

To be honest I don’t think there are many who would disagree with that last statement. The headless chicken approach we saw on day two as Stokes and Bairstow plundered a world record partnership showed a rather rudderless team that had no clear backup plan to call upon.

So why not make that call before the test series against England, or hold off until after the fourth and final test?

“It was quite a quick turnaround between the India and the English series … and I wasn’t quite ready at that stage,” he offered, acknowledging that there was a temptation to hold off on the decision until after the England series.

“The temptation was there, but I’ve always said that as a player if you’re not good enough then you don’t play,” he said.

“So if I feel that somebody else can add more value to the team as captain, then why wait and maybe be a hindrance to the guys for two more Tests? For me that makes sense.”

All of this means that many Proteas fans will get their wish and AB de Villiers will now take over the captaincy, having shed the wicket-keeping burden with Quinton de Kock returning to the side.

If you are the type that believes there is more going on behind the scenes than we are privy to, and after our World Cup semi-final selection fiasco you probably should be, you may be tempted to say captaincy was something that was thrust on Hash. Now that he realises he isn’t the best man for the job maybe we can all hope that the likes of Russell Domingo and Charl Langeveldt do the same.

Hey, a Proteas fan can dream.

One final time let’s enjoy the best cricketing crowd in South Africa paying tribute via the Hashim Army. Keep those runs coming #, it’s what you do best.

[source:timeslive]