Hashim Amla, who has given 14 years’ service to the Proteas and set numerous records along the way, has been granted South Africa’s Order of Ikhamanga.

He is the first cricketer in 10 years to receive the award, which recognises service and achievement in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport. Shaun Pollock Shaun Pollock, South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker, and Makhaya Ntini, the first black African to play Test cricket for South Africa, were named as Order of Ikhamanga recipients in 2008.

The elegant batsman, currently playing County cricket in England, was named as a silver award recipient by the Chancellor of National Orders, Dr Cassius Lubisi,’for his contribution to the sport of cricket’.

‘He has brought pride to our country with his many batting firsts in the international cricket arena and remains one of the leading batsmen of our time,’ said Dr Lubisi.

Amla, who made his Test debut in 2004, and is the only batsman to have scored a triple-century in Test cricket (at the Oval, in 2012), is their second-highest century-maker in Test cricket with 28 hundreds and the country’s leading ODI century-maker with 26 to his name. He is currently ranked 11th on the ICC Test rankings and 12th in ODIs and has captained South Africa in all formats.

Basil D’Oliveira received the award in 2003, when it was first established. Also that year, Eric Majola and Goolam Abed, who were selected for both cricket and rugby for black South African teams during the apartheid era, were recognised. In 2004, Hassan Howa, after whom the Howa bowl, a cricket tournament for non-white players which ran from the early 1970s until unity in 1991 was named, was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga.

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/Backpagepix