The Hash must find his feet

Is Hashim Amla, the South African with the most elegant cover drive since Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards, in decline or is his lean run temporary and normal for a cricketer approaching his mid-30s?

He's not the first. Younis Khan of Pakistan went through 10 matches and 18 innings without a century and in a series against Australia he averaged 1.66. He was 29 at the time; he's now 39 and scores Test centuries at the rate of about one every three matches. Last week he made 175 not out against Australia.

Amla is 33 and the way he conducts his life, he could continue to play Test cricket for at least another six years. But first he must fix what is broken.

In the last seven Tests and 12 innings, Amla has scored only 307 runs. His most recent score was a duck and his average for those matches is 25.58.

So what's the problem? Clive Lloyd, who captained the great West Indies teams of the 1970s and 1980s, said that cricket was a game played from the neck up.

He might have added that it's also played from the waist and knees down. Cricket is as much a game of the boots as it is of the brain.

If it's the footwork, it's also easier to fix. Perhaps Fred Astaire could be of help. The man who opened the batting in 31 Hollywood musicals, knew a thing or two about footwork. Could watching Fred going back and across on YouTube be the inspiration that Amla needs? Outlandish perhaps, but worth a try. The way Amla is batting now, the man has two left feet.

The best part of Amla's dismal run is that he does not appear to be even considering retirement. With his stature in the game no selector would dare to drop him either.

When Australian great Matthew Hayden showed signs of decline, the fall was vertiginous but the selectors continued to persevere because of the man's record and reputation. In nine matches between his last Test century and his final Test innings, he averaged just 23.93. His feet were beginning to move sluggishly by the time he reached the age of 37 and after scores of 12, 4, 8, 23, 31 and 39 against South Africa he was pushed before he could jump. He had gone nine Test matches without a hundred. For someone who scored a century, on average, every fourth match, the writing was on the scoreboard wall. Still, he ended with an overall Test batting average of 50.73.

Ricky Ponting's demise was more gradual, but not in doubt once it began. He also played until 37 and also averaged a century every four Tests. The difference between him and Hayden was that the former Aussie skipper could read the writing and set his retirement date before his final match, in November 2012 in Perth against South Africa.

Ponting, between his debut in December 1995 and January 2010, averaged 55.67. By the time he had retired it was 51.85. Amla, until last year, was averaging 51.45 and also a century every four Tests. That is now 49.45 and he should be allowed to find his feet again and bring it above 50 before there is any more talk about him being in permanent decline. Just a pity Fred Astaire is no longer around to help, because the first dance class starts tomorrow.