Proteas batsman Hashim Amla will return to competitive cricket this week.

Amla has not played since early March. He was named in the squad for the final two of the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, but withdrew to spend time with his ill father.

The veteran right-hander will be play for the Cape Cobras on the opening weekend of the CSA T20 Challenge. This will be his second stint in domestic T20 cricket this season, after late last year’s time with the Durban Heat in the inaugural Mzansi Super League.

‘I don’t think extending an innings has ever been a problem for Hashim. It’s about getting in. In the Mzansi Super League, he didn’t manage that, which can happen after a long layoff,’ said Cape Cobras head coach Ashwell Prince.

‘I still think there is a place for somebody to bat through the innings, and he is well capable of doing that. If he bats through the innings at a 120 or 130 strike rate, it allows other more natural ball strikers to play their game around him.

‘There is an opportunity for Hashim to bat through the innings, and if he does that half the time, then I think he is getting enough batting.’

All-rounder JP Duminy will not play for the Cobras this weekend, amid ongoing rehabilitation from shoulder surgery.

Photo: Hashim Amla