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New Delhi - South African batsman Hashim Amla cracked his
maiden Twenty20 century but his sublime knock for his Indian Premier League
side Kings XI Punjab went in vain.
Amla hit a 60-ball 104 not out to help Punjab post 198-4 but
Mumbai Indians achieved the target with 27 balls to spare during their
eight-wicket win in Indore on Thursday.
England's Jos Buttler top-scored for Mumbai with a 37-ball
77 as he put together an 85-run second-wicket stand with left-handed batsman
Nitish Rana (62 not out).
But it was Amla's eye-catching innings that remained the
highlight of the evening at Indore's Holkar Stadium that saw 397 runs in 35.3
overs.
Amla, 34, known for his classical style of play, hit 8 fours
and 6 sixes to single-handedly destroy the Mumbai bowling attack, with New
Zealand paceman Mitchell McClenaghan and Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga
bleeding runs.
Amla enjoyed an 83-run stand with skipper Glenn Maxwell, who
hit 40 in 18 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes for the third wicket.
Congratulatory messages flowed as Amla, whose highest score
in T20 internationals is 97 not out, registered his first hundred in his 113th
T20 game.
"Hashim Aaaaaaaaamla... What a player, what a champion!
@amlahash @IPL," South African one-day international captain AB de Villiers
wrote on Twitter.
Proteas Test and T20 skipper Faf du Plessis, who plays for IPL side Rising Pune Supergiant, declared Amla a "legend" while Morne Morkel also sang praises for his team-mate.
