Kings XI Punjab recruit Hashim Amla finished the third week of the 2017 Indian Premier League as the leading run-scorer, as several South African players jostled for centre stage in Bangalore, Delhi and surrounds.
Bouncing back from a first-ball duck suffered against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday, Amla scored a superb century against the Mumbai Indians on Thursday and a solid half-ton against the Gujarat Lions on Sunday. His 104 not out from a mere 60 deliveries marked the highest score of his Twenty20 career, surpassing the unbeaten 97 gathered against Australia at Newlands in March 2016. The feat however, proved vain, as Mumbai triumphed with ease. His week ended with a match-winning 65 against the Lions, though, and saw Sunrisers captain David Warner unseated from the helm of the 2017 tournament's run-scoring ranks. Amla boasts 299 to Warner's 282. The South African sports a higher strike-rate and average than the Australian, too.
Proteas and Punjab teammate Miller, meanwhile, is struggling to gain a place in an XI that also can't find space for England's Eoin Morgan. The left-handed Miller perished for a mere single against the Sunrisers, dropped a relatively straightforward catch as a substitute fielder in defeat to Mumbai - and is currently unable to gain selection ahead of Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis.
Hailed as the tournament's best allrounder by Gujarat coach Brad Hodge and generally tipped as central to South Africa's upcoming Champions Trophy campaign, the big-hitting Chris Morris continues to offer the Delhi Daredevils great value. Wednesday's four-for - lined with the wickets of Sunrisers big guns Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson and Yuvraj Singh - epitomised the seamer's commanding ability with the ball. Saturday's unbeaten half-century against Mumbai, then, typified his prowess with the bat. Both performances, though, were unable to prevent defeat. Monday's quickfire 16 and the removal of the dangerous Yusuf Pathan, too, was not enough to stave off a loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
While Delhi are missing the services of Proteas absentees de Kock and JP Duminy, they're blessed with the dynamic talent of fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. The burgeoning allrounder enjoyed a fine IPL debut against Mumbai, but bowling opener Parthiv Patel with a vicious yorker, running out the impatient Harbhajan Singh with some fancy footwork and striking a cavalier 44, too, was insufficient for victory.
Peculiar scheduling brought the Rising Pune Supergiant just one game last week, against Hyderabad. Test captain Faf du Plessis was not selected in a batting order comfortable with Australian Steven Smith and Englishman Ben Stokes at positions three and five, respectively, while legspinner Imran Tahir took his 2017 tournament wicket tally to nine with the scalp of Dhawan.
Fellow wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi still hasn't played a game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and, on Wednesday, expressed his disappointment with not being selected for the Champions Trophy squad by posting a telling 'Sigh' on Facebook. The comment was later removed. Disappointment, too, met Bangalore's AB de Villliers. He was unable to play against Gujarat due to injury and managed just eight as the Royal Challengers slumped to 49 all out - the lowest score in the tournament's 10-season history - against the Knight Riders.
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