Amla becomes 2nd fastest to amass 8K ODI runs

Birmingham, June 19 (IANS) South Africa opener Hashim Amla added another feather to his illustrious cap by becoming the second fastest batsman after Virat Kohli to score 8,000 ODI runs on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old batsman achieved the feat during South Africa's World Cup group stage contest against New Zealand at the Edgbaston cricket ground.

Amla achieved the feat in 176 innings, while Kohli took 175 innings to enter the 8K club. Before the start of the match, the opener needed 24 runs to reach the landmark.

Amla also became the fourth South African batsman after Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs to reach the 8,000-run mark in one-day cricket.

Amla's former teammate de Villiers is the third fastest to score 8,000 ODI runs off 182 innings, followed by former India skipper Sourav Ganguly (200 innings) and Rohit Sharma (200 innings).