Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - He came to the crease in his 100th Test match without a half-century in 10 knocks.
It has been a rare lean run in the career of one of South Africa's finest ever batsman, and in true Hashim Amla fashion, he rose to the occasion when it mattered most on Thursday.
His 26th Test century came midway through the final session on day one of the third Test against Sri Lanka, and it was one to savour.
He was dropped on 5 off the bowling of Saranga Lakmal in the over before lunch, but Amla grew in confidence as his innings progressed and by the time he had reached 50 just before tea, he was back to his best.
Having been cautious in the early stages of his knock, Amla was flowing freely after tea and he moved swiftly to three figures as he shared in a monster partnership with JP Duminy.
The moment the Johannesburg crowd had been waiting for came at 16:22, when Amla came down the track to hit Rangana Herath over mid-off to reach his century.
It came off 169 balls and included 14 boundaries, and while it is fitting that the 'Mighty Hash' reached a ton in his 100th Test, it also signals a return to form for one of the Proteas' most important players.
Amla becomes the eighth player to score a century in his 100th Test match.
