In a historic display of power-hitting, South Africa rewrote the record books at the Cricket World Cup by posting the highest-ever total of 428 runs, surpassing the previous record of 417 set by Australia in 2015 against Afghanistan. The match against a stunned Sri Lanka witnessed a remarkable innings by Aiden Markram, who achieved the fastest century in World Cup history, taking only 49 balls to reach the milestone.
Markram, who eventually scored 106 runs, eclipsed the previous record held by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien, who had scored a century in 50 balls against England in 2011. The match also featured centuries from Rassie van der Dussen (108) and Quinton de Kock (100), making it the first World Cup game to witness three centuries in a single innings.
Reflecting on the remarkable performance, Van der Dussen stated, “It was a perfect day for us with the bat. We had to work hard up front against the swinging ball and then well into the middle overs. We have a blueprint to set it up for the guys in the middle order. Aiden Markram, when he plays like that, is incredible to watch.”
However, for Sri Lanka, the bowling figures painted a grim picture, with two of their bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana (1-95) and Kasun Rajitha (1-90), conceding over 180 runs each from their 20 overs.
This remarkable display of batting prowess came as a stark contrast to South Africa’s previous outing at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium in October 2022 when they were dismissed for a mere 99 runs.
De Kock, playing in his final international tournament, reached his 18th ODI century off 83 balls, featuring 12 fours and three sixes. However, he was dismissed immediately after reaching the milestone, top-edging a delivery from Pathirana to Dhananjaya de Silva at mid-on.
Van der Dussen notched up his fifth century in ODIs off 103 balls, highlighted by 12 fours and three sixes. He was eventually caught on the long-on boundary by Sadeera Samarawickrama in the 38th over.
The partnership between De Kock and Van der Dussen, which began after the early dismissal of skipper Temba Bavuma for just eight runs in the second over, amassed 204 runs for the second wicket.
Markram, in an explosive display, raced to his half-century from 34 balls, and he, along with Heinrich Klaasen (32), guided South Africa past the 350-run mark in the 44th over. Markram’s century included 14 fours and three sixes, and he displayed his dominance by plundering 18 runs off a single over from Pathirana.
Markram’s innings eventually came to an end when he skied a delivery to Kasun Rajitha in the deep off Mandushanka. In the late overs, David Miller added to Sri Lanka’s woes by smashing 39 runs from 21 balls with two sixes.
In summary, South Africa set a new World Cup record with a total of 428-5, showcasing their formidable batting prowess and asserting their dominance in the tournament.
[Insert Brief Scores: South Africa 428-5 (Rassie van der Dussen 108, Aiden Markram 106, Quinton de Kock 100) v Sri Lanka.]
