Records galore as South Africa post 428/5
Highest total. Fastest hundred. Three hundreds in an innings for the first time ever. Those were some of the World Cup records set and slashed by South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, one of the slowest and lowest venues in India which last saw a 300-plus ODI total back in the 2011 World Cup. South Africa got to 428 this time around, redeeming their 99 all-out at the venue last year with scintillating hundreds from Aiden Markram (49 balls), Quinton de Kock (83 balls) and Rassie van der Dussen (103 balls). Signs that the pitch was true came as early as the first over, when Temba Bavuma leaned into a drive and sent it racing away. But a searing inswinger from Dilshan Madhushanka accounted for South Africa’s captain and brought Van der Dussen early to the crease. In an early indication of what was to follow, Van der Dussen dispatched the first two balls he faced for boundaries and set the tone for a commanding 204-run stand with de Kock that left Sri Lanka out of their wits on a flat batting track. Little did they know that things were about to get from bad to worse. De Kock got to his hundred in the 31st over but was dismissed next ball, mistiming a pull shot to mid-on. Van der Dussen, then on 96, was knocking the ball around and Sri Lanka sensed some control with a new batter at the crease. It all seemed to be going to plan when Dasun Shanaka brought himself on to bowl, pitched one in the slot and Markram chiped the ball over mid-off for a boundary. That was one of the many chip-drives Markram would hit on the night en route to his tally of 14 fours and 3 sixes. Having Heinrich Klaasen at the other end only validated Markram’s aggressive methods in the middle. The two added 78 runs in only 35 balls, laying into Sri Lanka’s bowlers one after the other and setting South Africa up for a massive total on the board. Klaasen picked most of his runs against Dunith Wellalage and Kasun Rajitha while Markram compiled a fifty off 34 balls. That’s when the switch flicked. Matheesha Pathirana conceded 26 runs in the next over, with Markram hitting him for three fours and a six. The assault meant that Pathirana (1 for 95) found himself second on the list of most uneconomical bowling figures by Sri Lankans in World Cups. Markram got to his hundred with a maximum, pulled into the deep square leg fence to bring up what was the third-fastest ODI hundred for South Africa. The innings lasted too long beyond that; a tired shot from him off Madushanka in the 48th over meant that he couldn’t see the innings through but David Miller and Marco Jansen combined to pick 32 runs off the last two overs, delivering South Africa to a total that would take some chasing. Brief Scores:
South Africa 428/5 (Rassie Van der Dussen 108, Aiden Markram 106, Quinton de Kock 100; Dilshan Madushanka 2-86) vs Sri Lanka
