Publications
Partners
Cape Town - South African sports personalities have taken to Twitter, united in their ecstasy over the feats of Hashim Amla and Ernie Els to mark an unrivalled “Super Sunday” in cricket and golf for our country.
Proteas batsman Hashim Amla set the tone for the national delirium by achieving the highest score and first triple century by a South African in Tests, as his team took a real stranglehold on the first encounter with exhausted England at The Oval - the visitors are within breathing distance of a maiden triumph at what has traditionally been a bogey venue for them.
But not terribly long after Amla had posted his marathon total, television viewers were torn between watching the Proteas only crank up the heat when back in the field for England’s second innings, and observing 42-year-old Els gradually haul in faltering Australian Adam Scott and secure his fourth Major and first in 10 years at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham.
An avalanche of admiring tweets, from a broad array of respected names in SA sport, accompanied each man’s achievement. Here
is a small selection of them:
Mark Boucher (@markb46), the great South African wicketkeeper recently forced into international retirement after his freak eye injury: “So, so happy for Ernie! What a champion! How can anyone not love that guy and the way he is? A true South African boet!”
Earlier tweet by Boucher: “Well played @amlahash!! Well deserved! A legend in the making. Looking forward to seeing our bowlers bowl on this now.”
SuperSport critic and former Proteas batman HD Ackerman (@ackershd): “Ernie is finished, Smith can’t play, Amla has a shocking technique and Kallis bats too slow. WAKE UP PEOPLE! These guys are legends.”
Crowd-pleasing former SA all-rounder Adrian Kuiper (@AdrianKuiperSA): “Well done Ernie Els. What a round. Champion golfer of the year. Legend! Liver tablets selling out fast ...”
Earlier tweet by Kuiper: “Well done @amlahash. Great effort, awesome record for a special player. @jacqueskallis75 had the best seat in the house. #Amla300.”
World Cup 2007-winning Springbok captain John Smit (@JohnSmit123): “Ernie you little beauty!!!!!!”
Springbok tearaway loose forward of the 1980s Rob Louw (@roblouw6): “Els jou buken feuty!”
SuperSport pundit and former Stormers and Bok wing favourite Breyton Paulse (@BreytonPaulse): “Amla’s the man, well done to the silent Pommie-slayer, great record broken.”
South Africa ‘A’ coach, former Proteas bowling coach and SA Cricket Board fast bowling legend Vincent Barnes (@VincentBarnes50): “I’m at the airport and the Mighty Hash just got a standing ovation by boarding passengers. Amazing, legendary Hashim Amla.”
Jacques Kallis (@jacqueskallis75), whose unbeaten innings of 182 was unusually eclipsed by Amla’s epic knock, tweeting after the close of the fourth day’s play: “What a great knock ... always a pleasure to bat with him.”
And finally, one from someone unlikely to be the real leader of South Africa (@Jacob_G_Zuma, whose biog reads “A better wife for all”): “300 runs ... Hashim Amla for President!”
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing
Proteas batsman Hashim Amla set the tone for the national delirium by achieving the highest score and first triple century by a South African in Tests, as his team took a real stranglehold on the first encounter with exhausted England at The Oval - the visitors are within breathing distance of a maiden triumph at what has traditionally been a bogey venue for them.
But not terribly long after Amla had posted his marathon total, television viewers were torn between watching the Proteas only crank up the heat when back in the field for England’s second innings, and observing 42-year-old Els gradually haul in faltering Australian Adam Scott and secure his fourth Major and first in 10 years at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham.
An avalanche of admiring tweets, from a broad array of respected names in SA sport, accompanied each man’s achievement. Here
is a small selection of them:
Mark Boucher (@markb46), the great South African wicketkeeper recently forced into international retirement after his freak eye injury: “So, so happy for Ernie! What a champion! How can anyone not love that guy and the way he is? A true South African boet!”
Earlier tweet by Boucher: “Well played @amlahash!! Well deserved! A legend in the making. Looking forward to seeing our bowlers bowl on this now.”
SuperSport critic and former Proteas batman HD Ackerman (@ackershd): “Ernie is finished, Smith can’t play, Amla has a shocking technique and Kallis bats too slow. WAKE UP PEOPLE! These guys are legends.”
Crowd-pleasing former SA all-rounder Adrian Kuiper (@AdrianKuiperSA): “Well done Ernie Els. What a round. Champion golfer of the year. Legend! Liver tablets selling out fast ...”
Earlier tweet by Kuiper: “Well done @amlahash. Great effort, awesome record for a special player. @jacqueskallis75 had the best seat in the house. #Amla300.”
World Cup 2007-winning Springbok captain John Smit (@JohnSmit123): “Ernie you little beauty!!!!!!”
Springbok tearaway loose forward of the 1980s Rob Louw (@roblouw6): “Els jou buken feuty!”
SuperSport pundit and former Stormers and Bok wing favourite Breyton Paulse (@BreytonPaulse): “Amla’s the man, well done to the silent Pommie-slayer, great record broken.”
South Africa ‘A’ coach, former Proteas bowling coach and SA Cricket Board fast bowling legend Vincent Barnes (@VincentBarnes50): “I’m at the airport and the Mighty Hash just got a standing ovation by boarding passengers. Amazing, legendary Hashim Amla.”
Jacques Kallis (@jacqueskallis75), whose unbeaten innings of 182 was unusually eclipsed by Amla’s epic knock, tweeting after the close of the fourth day’s play: “What a great knock ... always a pleasure to bat with him.”
And finally, one from someone unlikely to be the real leader of South Africa (@Jacob_G_Zuma, whose biog reads “A better wife for all”): “300 runs ... Hashim Amla for President!”
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing
