Amla marks a chapter with Dubai performance

Dubai: Hashim Amla will be remembered for ever as the first batsman to score a century at the Dubai Sports City International Cricket stadium. He is in incredible form having cracked five centuries this season and is now just 14 runs short of the 1,000-run mark in a calendar year.

When asked by Gulf News to reveal the secret behind his splendid form and whether he has brought about any change in his batting technique, Amla said: "I haven't changed my technique. With time and each game you gain more experience and one feels more and more comfortable at this level and in this format of the game.

"So I try to keep an open mind while batting at top of the order. Fortunately we have players like [Jacques] Kallis, Graeme [Smith]. They have played lot and I try and draw from their experience to increase my knowledge of the One-dayers."

Making an impact

So how does it feel to notch up his fifth century of the year?

"I have been trying to keep things simple and make an impact on the top of the order.

"Fortunately, things have gone my way. I guess you need things to go your way especially in cricket we know that the margin for error is very small at times. So I keep trying to work on my game and gain experience," he said.

On Tuesday Amla held the innings together despite wickets falling at the other end but insisted he did not want to take the credit for it.