Devon Cricket Board - Hamza shows his class with double ton

Hamza shows his class with double ton

PAIGNTON’S overseas player last season has just written himself a place in the South African record books.
Zubayr Hamza scored 772 runs at the top of the order for Paignton, averaging 64.33, as they stormed to promotion as Francis Clark Devon League A Division champions.
Hamza took unbeaten tons off Chudleigh (132) and Abbotskerswell (101). He also turned out for the Devon Dumplings and made a double hundred for them, at Paignton against a South African touring side.
Hamza had played some First Class cricket at home for Western Province before joining Paignton and slotted straight back into the side on his return.
In the match against Namibia at Wanderers ground, Hamza cracked an undefeated 202, becoming the fourth youngest South African to reach 200.
“It just shows what a class act he is,” said Connor Bryan, who was Hamza’s captain at Paignton last season.
Playing for the opposition was Gerhard Erasmus, the former Namibia U19 captain who played for Stoke Gabriel towards the end of last season. He made 69 in the first innings of the drawn game.
Hamza’s double ton came at the age of 19 years and 113 days, putting him behind Johann Myburgh (17 years and 122 days), Graeme Pollock (19 years and 19 days) and Xenophon Balaskas (19 years and 86 days).
Below him sit Hylton Ackerman, Dean Elgar and Ken Viljoen, who all accomplished the feat well before their 20th birthday.
Only Ackerman and Myburgh did not go on to represent South Africa, although Ackerman was selected for the cancelled tour to Australia in 1971/72 and was involved in the series by the Rest of the World XI t replaced it.
Myburgh has led a respectable First Class career, playing for Somerset this year in his 17th season at that level.
Pollock as one of the all-time greats and Elgar as an international star in the making, while Balaskas bowled South Africa to their first Test victory in England in 1935 and played nine Tests for his country.
Viljoen played 27 Tests between 1930 and 1949 before serving South Africa with distinction as team manager and administrator.
Hamza played South African Schools cricket and hockey in 2013.
“It was a chanceless innings and the Namibia attack is quite good – they’re a proper side,” said Western Province coach Faiek Davids
“While the pitch is often good for batting and we had no hesitation in batting first after we won the toss, the heat is a real factor so to bat for such a long time was very impressive.”

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