The unstoppable South African team continues its monumental run in the ICC Cricket World Cup with big-hitting and massive totals as its hallmark, setting new benchmarks and establishing new history in the tournament. Out of all the teams, the Proteas have looked the strongest to challenge an unbeaten India, with six wins in seven matches. With 12 points and two matches to go, they are almost guaranteed a semifinal spot, as per ICC.
A lot of credit for this success goes to Quinton de Kock, a man hell-bent on making his ODI swansong a memorable experience, having smashed four centuries so far, its destructive middle-order consisting of Aiden Markram-Heinrich Klaasen-David Miller and a top-class pace attack boosted by Marco Jansen’s powerplay strikes. Let us look at records shattered by SA in this WC:
*82: Team sixes in a Cricket World Cup With two or possibly four matches remaining, South Africa currently holds the record for the most sixes clubbed by a team in a Men’s Cricket World Cup.
In their convincing victory over New Zealand, the Proteas blasted 15 sixes, bringing their tournament total to 82 from seven games. With the way they are going, a century of sixes during this World Cup cannot be ruled out. Prior to winning the 2019 Cricket World Cup, England hit 76 runs in 11 matches, a record that South Africa has now surpassed. Prior to that, the record was held by the West Indies, who scored 68 team sixes in 2015; the all-conquering Australia side scored 67 in 2007.
The five-time champions Australia are on track to finish higher in this list during the current Cricket World Cup, after hitting 61 sixes in six matches so far and with at least three more to play. *12: Wickets taken in the Powerplay
All-rounder Marco Jansen, who has been driving South Africa’s strong starts with the ball, made his mark early in the competition against England with a blistering 75*. In order to guarantee that South Africa seizes control early in the opposition innings, the left-arm fast has captured 12 wickets during the Powerplay, more than double the total of the next-best bowler.
In the first ten overs, pace has shown to be the most important weapon. Dilshan Madushanka of Sri Lanka took six wickets during the Powerplay, while Josh Hazlewood of Australia (five) is only ahead of Jasprit Bumrah of India, Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan, and injured England quick Reece Topley (all four). With two wickets in the Powerplay against New Zealand and a final score of 3/31, Jansen now has the same amount of wickets taken at the Cricket World Cup as both Australia’s spinner Adam Zampa and Afridi, both on 16.
*4: Individual hundreds in a Cricket World Cup De Kock started the tournament with back-to-back tons against Sri Lanka and Australia, and since then has smashed two more including 114 against New Zealand in another dominant display.
The South Africa opener also registered the highest individual score at this Cricket World Cup so far with a brutal 174 against Bangladesh. De Kock’s four centuries currently tie Kumar Sangakarra of Sri Lanka’s record for most hundreds in a single edition of the grand event (2015). Both have hit second-highest tons in a single edition of the tournament.
With five hundreds in 2019, India opener and current captain Rohit Sharma holds the record, but with two – potentially even four – innings remaining, De Kock will fancy his chances of at least matching that total. *8: Team hundreds in a Cricket World Cup
The Proteas have tied the record for most hundreds by a side at a Cricket World Cup after de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen both scored hundreds against New Zealand. With two more games remaining, the South African batting lineup will have a chance to break the record set by Sri Lanka in 2015. SL had also hit eight tons in the 2015 edition of the tournament.
With four centuries to his credit, De Kock is the leader in the charts. Van der Dussen, who began the tournament with 108 against Sri Lanka, now has two centuries. Aiden Markram also hit the then-fastest hundred at a Cricket World Cup, reaching the three-figure mark in 49 balls against Sri Lanka, while Heinrich Klaasen later pummelled England with a rapid 109.
*2: Double-century partnerships at Cricket World Cups With a 200-run partnership between De Kock and van der Dussen against New Zealand, South Africa was able to seize control of the game.
After 204 runs partnership against Sri Lanka, it was the pair’s second double-century partnership of the tournament, and they currently share the most 200-plus run stands by a pair in WC history. In 2011, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga also had two partnerships of more than 200 runs; no other pair than these two has achieved this feat more than once, even throughout several Cricket World Cups.
*545: Individual runs in a Cricket World Cup De Kock’s has left no batting records safe as he is the leading run-scorer in the tournament so far.
De Kock’s tally has surpassed Jacques Kallis’s mark of 485 in 2007 for the most runs scored by a South African batter in a single edition of the Cricket World Cup. With two group stage games and atleast one knockout stage match left, De Kock is just 189 runs away from breaking Indian great Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in a Cricket World Cup with 673 in 2003
*4: 350-plus team totals in a Cricket World Cup South Africa is now the first team to score four 350-plus scores in a single Cricket World Cup, after smashing Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh and New Zealand out of the park.
The Proteas have now passed the 350-run mark nine times in all Cricket World Cups, equalled only by Australia.
