Amla was selected in the 12-man Twenty20 squad against India, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. He was selected in place of opener Loots Bosman. The most significant thing about the match before it started or ended was that it was the final match for iconic fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, known for being one of the greatest personalities in modern cricket. For his performances in 2010 and 2011, he was named in the World Test XI by the ICC. 2012 During the Proteas tour of England, he scored the highest ever Test score by a South African and the country's first triple century while playing in the 1st Test at The Oval. He scored 311 not out in a man of the match performance, as South Africa defeated England by an innings and 12 runs. He then scored his 16th Test century in the 2nd innings of the 3rd Test at Lord's, as South Africa beat England by 51 runs to clinch the series by 2–0 and ascended to the top of the ICC Test rankings. He was South Africa's man of the series and during the ODI series that followed, he scored a career-best 150 (from 124 balls) in the 2nd match against England in Southampton. They then toured to Australia, where Amla scored 104 and shared a 165 run 3rd wicket partnership with Jacques Kallis in the 1st Test at the Gabba, Amla and Kallis are the most prolific partnership in South Africa's Test match history. In the 3rd Test at the WACA, Amla scored 196 in the 2nd innings in a match-winning, series-clinching effort. Together with Graeme Smith, their 2nd wicket stand of 178 in 2 while his century came up in 87 balls. For his performances in 2012, he was named in the World Test XI by the ICC and Cricinfo. He was also named in the ODI XI of the year by Cricinfo. 2013 During bilateral series against New Zealand in January 2013, Amla was requested to lead the team due to suspension of regular captain AB de Villiers for 2 matches due to slow overrate, that Amla declined requesting to be left to "concentrate on his batting". In August 2013, it was announced that Amla had signed for Surrey, for whom he made a limited number of appearances in domestic matches. For his performances in 2013, he was named both in the World