De Kock's blistering century overshadows Charles' Gayle-pipping knock as SA chase down record target vs WI in 2nd T20I
Quinton de Kock notched up his maiden T20I century as hosts South Africa pulled off the highest successful run chase in the history of T20I cricket in just 18.5 overs. A total of 517 runs were scored in the 2nd T20I between South Africa and the West Indies at the SuperSport Park.
Star opener Quinton de Kock notched up his maiden T20I century as South Africa created a world record to upstage West Indies in the high-scoring thriller at Centurion on Sunday. After suffering a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the visitors in the 1st T20I, the Proteas were under the pump when Aiden Markram and Co. squared off against the West Indies in the series decider at the SuperSport Park.
Turning the penultimate clash of the bilateral series into an absolute run-fest at Centurion, premier batter Johnson Charles toppled legendary West Indies batter Chris Gayle to rewrite history in the shortest format of the game. Taking the Proteas bowlers to the cleaners, senior batter Charles smashed a quick-fire century which laid the foundation for a gigantic total.
Amassing a daunting total for the Men from the Caribbean, Charles smashed the fastest century by a West Indies batter in T20I cricket. The 34-year-old smoked 11 sixes and struck 10 fours in his entertaining knock of 118 off just 46 deliveries. The St Lucia batter completed his century in just 39 balls to eclipse Gayle for the quickest T20I century by a West Indies batter.
Interestingly, Charles-inspired West Indies struck 22 sixes - which matched the record for most sixes hit by a team in a T20I innings. Afghanistan had also struck 22 sixes against Ireland three years ago. Riding on Charles' sublime century, Rovman Powell's West Indies managed to post 258-5 in 20 overs. Marco Jansen, who cleaned up Charles in the 14th over, was the pick of the bowlers for the Proteas. The South African pacer bagged three wickets and leaked 52 runs in 4 overs.
Kickstarting South Africa's run-chase in ruthless fashion, opener De Kock launched an all-out attack on the Windies bowlers. After smashing the quickest half-century by a South Africa batter, De Kock registered his first T20I century to put the Proteas in the driving seat. De Kock struck the second-fastest T20I century by a South African batter in just 43 balls.
| Highest-successful run chases (Full-members) | Match | Year |
| 259/4 | South Africa vs West Indies | 2023 |
| 245/5 | Australia vs New Zealand | 2018 |
| 236/6 | West Indies vs South Africa | 2015 |
| 230/8 | England vs South Africa | 2016 |
| 226/5 | England vs South Africa | 2020 |
Making a mocking of the record total, De Kock's blistering knock of 100 off 44 balls and Reeza Hendricks' 68 off 28 balls propelled the hosts to a famous win in the high-scoring contest. The hosts pulled off the highest successful run chase in the history of T20I cricket in just 18.5 overs. A total of 517 runs were scored in the 2nd T20I between South Africa and the West Indies at the SuperSport Park.
