South Africa faced West Indies in the second T20I of the three-match series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday (March 26) and pulled off a record run chase to register a six-wicket victory over the visitors.
Asked to bat first, The West Indies got off to a poor start as their opener Brandon King got out for just one run off two balls. However, Johnson Charles shifted the gears for Men in Maroon and scored a brilliant 118 off 46 deliveries. Kyle Mayers (51 off 27) also contributed to the team’s total and helped West Indies set a daunting target of 258/5 in their 20 overs. Meanwhile, Marco Jansen turned out to be the most successful bowler for South Africa, taking three wickets for 52 runs in his four overs.
In reply, South Africa started their chase of 259 runs with a solid opening partnership between Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks. De Kock smashed the West Indies bowlers all around the park, scoring a breathtaking century off just 44 balls. His innings included nine fours and eight sixes. Hendricks also played a crucial role, scoring 68 off 28 balls. In the end, Proteas skipper Aiden Markram finished things off for the hosts by adding 38 runs.
The West Indies bowlers tried to make a comeback by picking up a couple of wickets, but it was too late as South Africa eventually won the game as they chased the set target in 18.5 overs with six wickets remaining. Notably, this was the highest run-chase in the T20I format by any team.
While De Kock was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his scintillating century, South Africa levelled the three-match T20I series 1-1 against the West Indies with the win.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
South Africa Vs West Indies 2nd T20i:
– 517 runs.
– 38.5 overs.
– 2 centuries.
– 2 fifties.
– 46 fours.
– 35 sixes.– Carnage. Madness!
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 26, 2023
Highest successful run chase for South Africa in
Tests – 414/4 v Australia in Perth 2008
ODIs – 438/9 v Australia in Johannesburg 2006
T20Is – 259/4 v West Indies in Centurion 2023 #SAvWI#Cricket pic.twitter.com/c7cJ09Q3NH
— Arnav Singh (@Arnavv43) March 26, 2023
43-balls Hundred fo Quinton de Kock. His maiden T20I hundred, He smashed 100* runs from 43 balls including 9 fours and 8 sixes against West Indies in 259 run chase.
Phenomenal Hundred from De Kock! pic.twitter.com/AB2ocqTbIT
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) March 26, 2023
South Africa pulls off a record chase against West Indies.#SAvWI Scorecard: https://t.co/HOCg47YrM5 #cricket #2ndT20I #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/RyYsLrCzBb
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) March 26, 2023
A 43 ball hundred. His first ever T20i century. Quinton De Kock. Just wow! And he's put South Africa on course for a record chase at Centurion. #SAvsWI pic.twitter.com/F4Qzs2GlAE
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) March 26, 2023
Highest score in first 3 overs of T20I innings:
47 – Quinton de Kock🇿🇦 v WI, today
47 – Quinton de Kock🇿🇦 v ZIM, 2022— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) March 26, 2023
https://twitter.com/kunaalyaadav/status/1640005166106804226
https://twitter.com/m_aaakash/status/1640009572537749507
https://twitter.com/Sports_Himanshu/status/1639994361193857025
Quinton de Kock smashed fastest fifty in T20I Internationals for South Africa in history – He scored 53* runs from 15 balls against West Indies.
Incredible, De Kock. pic.twitter.com/Fk0mWTMk4w
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) March 26, 2023