Amla rues batting inadequacy after humiliating loss to England

South Africa captain Hashim Amla has admitted that his side are suffering from a lack of confidence due to consistent batting woes but expressed that it was time for him to lead the team with the bat.

South Africa failed to put an end to their batting struggle as they incurred a massive 241-run defeat against the touring England side in the opening Test of the four-match series at Kingsmead on Wednesday.

Describing his team's performance as 'disappointing', Amla pointed out Dean Elgar's knock as the only positive light for his embattled side. He said that the opener's performance was a good lesson for rest of their batsmen.

The 32-year-old also described defeats in Durban and Delhi (against India) as the lowlights of the year, explaining that his side couldn't manage to capitalise during these games despite good cricket wickets, Sport24 reported.

Amla, however, admitted that his hunger to captain South Africa was bigger than before and vowed to start the new year on a positive note after a modest season.