AB de Villiers will lead the team in the remaining two Tests of the series.

"This decision is not an easy one but the more I think about it the more I believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas as a fully-focused batsman and senior player at this time of rebuilding our team," said Amla.

According to a Cricket South Africa statement, Amla decided to step down before the second Test.

He told his teammates about his decision at the end of the match.

"I felt someone else could do a better job," he told journalists, adding that he had been thinking about resigning for several weeks.

Amla captained South Africa in 14 Tests, winning four, losing four and drawing six.

England survived a late South Africa surge as the Test was drawn, with the tourists 159 for six in their second innings.

England finished 161 runs ahead, but had to fend off the South Africans, who took six wickets in two sessions on the final day to provide an unexpectedly eventful finish.

After four days of bright sunshine and perfect batting conditions, England was determinedly defending the draw under gloomy skies in Cape Town when bad light ended play just under two hours before the scheduled finish.

England still leads the four-match series 1-0 and is in good position for a first series win over South Africa in 11 years. There are two matches to play, in Johannesburg and Centurion.

In a Test where 1,256 runs were scored in the first two innings on a serene batting pitch where batsmen had few problems, it was a strange finish in Cape Town. The surface was suddenly spinning and offering nip and bounce for the quick bowlers, and the searing heat had given way to a blanket of gray cloud cover and light drizzle.

England ultimately kept its nerve to maintain its lead in the series.

But South Africa, under pressure to live up to its No. 1 ranking in Tests, had found some momentum after a big 241-run defeat in Durban and a hammering for its bowlers at the start at Newlands.

England’s wobbly final day began with the exit of captain Alastair Cook in the second over of play.

Fellow opener Alex Hales was out next over to a diving one-handed catch by debutant Chris Morris in the slips.

Two sessions later, England was six wickets down and Jonny Bairstow had just survived a close stumping appeal as the possibility of a come-from-behind win for South Africa was alive.

England held on and the bad light and then rain confirmed a draw as most of the final session couldn’t be played.