Hashim Mohammad Amla OIS (born 31 March 1983) is a South African former cricketer who played for South Africa in all three formats of the game. Amla holds the record for being the fastest ever to score 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs. He also became the fastest cricketer to reach 10 ODI centuries. Amla is an occasional off break bowler, and was South Africa's Test captain from June 2014 to January 2016. He is a right-handed batsman and holds the record for the highest individual Test score of any South African batsman of 311 not out, scored against England at The Oval, London in July 2012. He became the fastest cricketer to score 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 centuries in One Day International (ODI) Cricket, doing so in 86, 94, 98, 102 and 108 innings respectively. He has scored ODI centuries against all Test playing countries and is only the fourth person to do so. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013. In 2017, he scored 2 centuries in the Indian Premier League, playing for Kings XI Punjab. On 3 June 2017, he became the fastest cricketer to reach 25 ODI centuries. On 19 January 2018, Amla broke Virat Kohli’s record for being the fastest cricketer to reach 27 centuries in ODI cricket. Amla has reached the milestone in 167 innings, surpassing Kohli's 169. On 8 August 2019, Amla announced his retirement from international cricket. On 18 January 2023, Amla announced his retirement from all cricket. Personal life Born in Durban, Amla is a devout Muslim. He is of Indian descent; his grandfather had migrated to South Africa from Surat, India, in 1927. He was raised in a middle-class home and sent to the highly regarded Durban High School, which is also the alma mater of Lance Klusener and Barry Richards. His elder brother, Ahmed Amla, was also a professional cricketer. Ahmed made his debut two years earlier than Hashim and they played together for a time at the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins. Amla married Sumaiyah and they have two children. Early years Upon graduating from Durban High School and impressing on the youth circuit, Amla made his debut for his provincial team, the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins, soon captaining South Africa at the 2002 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, leading his team to the final. During his formative years,