Amla named South Africa test captain

South Africa's Hashim Amla celebrates scoring a century during the fourth day of the second cricket test match against Australia in Port Elizabeth, February 23, 2014. REUTERS/Rogan Ward

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African cricket broke new ground on Tuesday with the appointment of Hashim Amla as test captain, the first black cricketer to hold the post permanently in a sport long seen to be dominated by whites.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) had identified Amla, one-day skipper AB de Villiers and Twenty20 leader Faf du Plessis as the potential successors to Graeme Smith, who retired from the international game in March.