Wednesday 6 January 2016 18:25, UK
Hashim Amla has quit as South Africa Test captain in the wake of the drawn second Test against England in Cape Town.
The skipper has quit with immediate effect after 14 matches in charge and will be replaced by AB de Villiers for the remaining two games in the series.
Amla was under pressure coming into the game on the back of a lean run of personal form, series defeat in India and England's first Test victory at Kingsmead, but he responded with a double hundred as the home side declared two runs short of England's 629-6 before briefly threatening an unlikely win on the final day.
There was no hint of the decision to come when Amla fulfilled his media duties at the post-match presentation and spoke of South Africa "peaking at the right time" ahead of the final two Tests, but news of his resignation emerged minutes later.
And Amla then appeared at a press conference to confirm a decision he admitted had "been coming", saying: "After careful consideration I wish to announce I will be stepping down with immediate effect.
"This decision was not an easy one to make but I felt I needed to be true to myself having done a personal introspection.
"I'm comfortable with the decision knowing I've given my best at all times and will continue to do so, however I feel there is a greater need to work on my own game thus giving me the opportunity to continue contributing like I have done previously.
"I was deeply honoured when the position was offered to me as this is the pinnacle for any sportsman. I'm extremely grateful to have had the privilege of captaining this wonderful team."
De Villiers, previously Amla's deputy and the captain of the one-day side, said: "I've said this before that it is an incredible honour to captain South Africa in any format. The captaincy has obviously come at short notice and is the realisation of a lifelong dream.
"At the moment my priority and focus is placed on leading this team to what can be a memorable series win against England. This Test squad is motivated and determined to turn our performances around and I'm looking forward to taking up that challenge as captain. Hashim is a good friend and close colleague and I am grateful for his support."
England skipper Alastair Cook described Amla's resignation as "a shock", but Sir Ian Botham said there were signs during the first Test that his heart was no longer in the job.
"He was definitely not on the ball in Durban," Sky Sports expert Botham said. "And he came here, led from the front, scored 200 and has then said 'someone else can do my bit now. I've got nothing else to say'.
"There will have been family and peer pressure. But there was a lot of hard stuff written about the team. I do understand it. I don't think his heart and soul was in it in Durban. The impression I got was he wasn't really into it. He's saying 'I try my heart out and if that's not good enough then get someone else to do it'."
