South Africa have hit 82 sixes in just 7 matches at this ODI World Cup, surpassing England’s 76 sixes in 11 matches at the 2019 tournament. Their six-hitting rate of 10.2 per match is the best ever in a calendar year for a team with at least 100 sixes. South Africa have smashed 194 sixes in 19 ODIs in 2023, second only to West Indies’ 209 in 2019.
Prolific Run Scoring While Batting First
The Proteas have scored 300+ totals in a record 8 consecutive ODIs when batting first. This breaks Australia’s 2007 streak of 7 and England’s 7 in 2019. South Africa now have 9 totals of 350+ runs in World Cups, equaling Australia’s record.
Quinton de Kock’s Prolific Tournament
Quinton de Kock has scored a tournament-high 545 runs including 4 centuries, the joint most hundreds in one World Cup along with Kumar Sangakkara (2015) and Rohit Sharma (2019). De Kock is the first South African to score 500+ runs in a World Cup, beating Jacques Kallis’ 485 in 2007. His tally is also the highest for a wicketkeeper in any World Cup. In addition, you can also read an article on- The Most Intense Cricket World Cup Rivalries Through History
Partnerships Power South Africa
De Kock shared 2 200+ stands with Rassie van der Dussen, making them only the second pair with multiple 200+ partnerships in one World Cup after Sri Lanka’s Dilshan and Tharanga. South African batters have hit 8 hundreds in this tournament, matching Sri Lanka’s record of 8 in 2015.
Comprehensive Win Over New Zealand
South Africa’s 357/4 is their highest ODI total against the Kiwis, beating their 324/4 in 2000. This 190-run win ended a 5-match World Cup losing streak against New Zealand dating back to 2003. The margin is New Zealand’s 2nd biggest loss in World Cups after their 215-run defeat to Australia in 2007.
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Dominant Victories in 2023
South Africa have won 9 ODIs by 100+ runs in 2023 when batting first, the most ever in a calendar year. They have won by 100+ margins in each of their last 8 ODIs batting first.
