Hashim Amla will continue his domestic career with the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras after deciding to end his association with the Sunfoil Dolphins, the Proteas batsman announced in a statement on Monday.
Amla, who attended Durban Boys High, had spent his entire domestic career with the Durban-based Dolphins after making his first-class debut during the 1999/2000 season while he also captained the franchise for a season before giving up the job to concentrate on his batting.
The 30-year-old Amla will join the CapeCobras with immediate effect but said that the decision to move had not been an easy one.
“I must stress that this was a difficult decision for me. I have always considered myself a Durban boy and know that I will dearly miss the support of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) fans during the domestic games. Although I may not have played a lot of domestic cricket in recent years due to my national team commitments, it is this tremendous support of the fans at KZN that I will remember and cherish the most,” he said in a statement.
“I have decided to pursue my domestic career with the CapeCobras, and I am looking forward to joining a team that has as rich a tradition as the Dolphins. I’m extremely excited about the future and look forward to making many new friends and colleagues in the Western Cape, whilst enjoying the game of cricket,” he added.
Jesse Chellan, the Dolphins’ chief executive said that Amla would always be a part of cricket in KZN.
“We wish Hashim well for the rest of his career. He will always be a product of KZN and he will always be a Durban boy,” Chellan told supersport.com.
Amla has established himself as one of the world’s best batsman during his career and, despite not playing much franchise cricket in the recent past because of national commitments he was the Dolphins’ star player and his loss will be keenly felt by the KwaZulu-Natal franchise.
Amla, as a nationally-contracted player, is able to play for any franchise of his choosing without having to break a contract with his original franchise.