A season or two ago, the Proteas’ poor batting caused one headache after another.
Now, if one looks at the scorecard of their first World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Delhi, it is undoubtedly a strong point.
Quinton de Kock (100 runs from 84 balls), Rassie van der Dussen (108 runs from 110 balls) and Aiden Markram 106 runs from 54 balls) turned on the run taps to see the South Africans post 428/5 in their allowed Could score 50 overs.
Markram now boasts the fastest century in World Cup history after he achieved the milestone in just 49 deliveries with a powerful boundary hit.
The previous record was held by Kevin O’Brien when the Irish batsman celebrated his 50-ball century against England in 2011.
Markram, who had his 29th birthday party this week, scored his runs at a strike rate of 196 and his innings included 17 boundaries.
Earlier, De Kock and Van der Dussen enjoyed a partnership of 204 runs for the second wicket and it seemed at times that the Sri Lankan bowlers just ran in to bowl; they were planless against the fiery Protea batsmen.
Later, Heinrich Klaasen (32 runs from 20 balls) and David Miller (39 runs from 21 balls) put in the long-stalk and the South Africans were able to score more than 130 runs from the last ten overs.
Yes-no, it rained for about six in Delhi.
Fastest World Cup Centuries:
- Aiden Markram (South Africa): 49 deliveries
- Kevin O’Brien (Ireland): 50 deliveries
- Glenn Maxwell (Australia): 51 deliveries
- AB de Villiers (South Africa): 52 deliveries
- Eoin Morgan (England): 57 deliveries.
Protease: Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.
