After Dale Steyn, it's Hashim Amla who called off to his international career

Childhood is coming to an end slowly. First AB and now Hash-Dale.

I haven't seen Glenn McGrath in his prime so I can't compare but in his prime Dale Steyn was a killer. Undoubtedly he was the best fast bowler I've seen in my life as a cricket fanatic. Test cricket is a game of high demands and both these gentleman's had their things to fill the demand. I've never seen any other batsman in the world who doesn't have "front-foot" properly. But Amla still managed to be remembered as one of the best artists with the bat.

Steyn was among those rarest of the rare quality who were able to swing the ball both sides of the wicket with blistering pace (145 kmph+/-). Extra aura Steyn added to him by his ability to perform with excellence in any condition. One proof for it was his 51-7 at Nagpur! Dale was one of the those who were loved by the rival fans in spite of being an animated aggressive character. His fist pump after every dismissal, his muttering towards the batsman whenever the ball missed and edge or went for four after getting an edge -all these animated, dramatic scenes were absolute entertainment.

Hashim Amla is someone who tried to follow Sir Bradman's theory of "The much you'll play the ground shots, your chance of getting out will get less." Those who mocks Amla for being a back-foot dependent player, don't know that the man with 99.94 test match average with the bat was also a back-foot dependent player. Amla was never a flamboyant character. The height of limelight AB, Faf even young Miller or others got, he never got such. But who cares, he didn't. He is the attestor of that kind of batsmen for whom saving the team and taking the flock ahead in the most deadly situations was much more important than to be flamboyant.

The departure of these two at a time when test cricket was added with newly flavour with the start of the World Test Championship, will be rendering the format. Test cricket and it's fans, more than Dale and Hashim, will miss these two Protea legends.

In the end, I wish a very Happy retirement to both of you!

©Soham

Against all the odds the only aquarius stood between England and victory in the first day of Ashes

Another one man heroic at the Edgbaston. Steven Smith has shown how big names transform into the bigger ones! Played his first test after the ban and his duty has resumed. The divide between the teams out there. When any other Aussie bat wasn't able to show the character to bat on a bowler friendly track in a test match, he was resolute.

He was seen uncomfortable in the beginning, but that's very natural in English conditions. But he didn't hectic, played near the body, played with soft hands and didn't try to push the ball away from the body. Which helped him to build his innings with less problems. He never made anyone feel that he was out of test cricket for 500 odd days. When all established batsmen were seen helpless, he fought solely by taking the tail enders with him. Hats off to Peter Siddle for his 44. Aussie bats should learn something from him.

Again in Edgbaston, again same opposition, same circumstances and another one man show after 1 year and a day of Virat Kohli's 149 in last summer. But Steve's fight was more difficult. The English spectators were booing him constantly, wore the mask of his crying face, raised sand papers and against all these odds, Steven emerged. Emerged as the old Aussie poster boy or talisman whatever you wanna say, he was before getting banned. The dragoman of a sinking Aussie batting. Scored his 9th Ashes hundred, 4th in English soil and 24th of his career.

His batting technique isn't the most eye catching one. That's why he didn't get the chances to be a top order batsman in his early days. In an elite cricketing nation like Australia, a poor batting technique is never acceptable. Steve Waugh was an exception, but you know exception can never be a rule. Thankfully, these rejections weren't able to demolish Steve's enthusiasm for batting. His childhood coach has set the net specially for him where he kept practicing batting on the other hand he got his chance in age-wise teams of Australia as a leg spinner. But his worship of batting was getting nurtured in everyone's stealthily. From then whenever he got the chance of batting, he utilised every bit of it. That's why people wonders how an average leg spinner became one of the best 5 bats of current times! He was always a batsman but in everyone's stealthily. When he got the chance he bloomed.

Thankfully, his childhood coach helped him in his batting! That's why we're witnessing his flare spreading over the world. We're witnessing his enigma, idiosyncrasies and thirst for runs, which hasn't been dimmed in last 500 days, rather which get higher for this break.

This innings will give Australia the motivation to fight for the rest of the series. More importantly it'll give Steve another level of satisfaction. Pain, insult, suffering and out of them now this! Top knock. Which can be proved as a match winning one, if Australia can bowl to their highest limit and bundle England out as fast as they can.

©Soham