Do you still remember the days – not too long ago – when everyone was still complaining about the Proteas’ rotten batting?
However, the South Africans show at the World Cup tournament in India that a weak point can indeed be converted into a strength when sufficient amounts of elbow grease and dedication are applied.
Quinton de Kock led the Protea batting performance against Bangladesh in Mumbai with his third century of the international cricket spectacle.
He drifted, chopped and picked up the ball with disdain from his leg-strikers to score 174 runs from just 140 balls.
De Kock particularly enjoyed the bowling of Shakib Al Hassan and he smashed 22 runs from one of his spinner’s innings.
It looked at one stage as if South Africa’s first double century in this format of the game was a mere formality, but he was caught on the boundary off Hasan Mahmud’s bowling while chasing quick runs.
Then Heinrich Klaasen did only Heinrich Klaasen things and he hit a couple of huge sixes in his lightning innings of 90 runs from 49 balls.
After 50 overs, the Proteas had 382/5 on the scoreboard after scoring more than 140 runs in the last ten overs.
They certainly have one of the most dangerous – even the most dangerous – batting lists at the World Cup.
- Summary of the scorecard:
South Africa 382/5 in 50 overs: Quinton de Kock 174, Heinrich Klaasen 90 and Hasan Mahmud 2/67.
- Protea team: Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Lizaad Williams.
