Another De Kock Ton As Proteas Climb Second

MUMBAI: A magnificent third century in five innings by Quinton de Kock at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup helped the Proteas claim another emphatic win as they comfortably overcame Bangladesh by 149 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The South Africa wicketkeeper has been in golden touch throughout the tournament thus far and moved to the top of the race charts with his dashing 174 off 140 balls in which he clubbed seven sixes and 15 fours.

 It was the 30-year-old’s 20^th One-Day International (ODI) century and followed hot on the heels of scores of 100 (v Sri Lanka) and 109 (v Australia) in the first two games.

His effort helped his team amass 382 for five after they won the toss and batted first with strong contributions also coming through Heinrich Klaasen (90 off 49 balls, 2 fours, 8 sixes) and Aiden Markram (60 off 69 balls, 7 fours), who again stood in as captain after Temba Bavuma was ruled out due to illness.

In reply the Proteas reduced the Tigers to 81 for six, before a Mahmudullah century (111 runs off 111 balls, 11 fours, 4 sixes) brought a degree of respectability to the scoreline. They were eventually dismissed for 233 in 46.4 overs with Gerald Coetzee the best of the bowlers picking up three for 62.

The result was an excellent one for Rob Walter’s side, lifting them to second on the table behind unbeaten hosts India. Their next match is against Pakistan in Chennai on Friday.

 The coach will no doubt be proud of his side after yet another convincing win in which they keep huge runs on the board to leave their opponents chasing the game.

 After losing Reeza Hendricks (12) and Rassie van der Dussen (1) cheaply, De Kock, who will retire from ODIs at the terminate of the tournament, and Markram place on 131 together for the second wicket to lay the early foundations.

 Then came one of the most memorable partnerships of the tournament as Klaasen joined De Kock for a stand of 142 that came in honest under 15 overs.

 The finishing touches were then added by David Miller (34* off 15 balls) ensuring the South Africans set a massive 382.

 Bangladesh reached 30 for none in the sixth over when Marco Jansen (2/39) landed a double blow to jolt their pace

 Lizaad Williams (2/56) marked his World Cup debut with the wicket of opposition captain Shakib Al Hasan (1), while a wicket each from Kagiso Rabada (2/42), Keshav Maharaj (1/32) and Coetzee sank Bangladesh to 81 for six.

 Thanks to centurion Mahmudullah, they recovered from there to reach 227 for eight at one stage, but that was a mere formality with the South Africans sewing up another huge win.

Source: cricket.co.za

Quinton de Kock: With an HPI of 12.70, Quinton de Kock is the 6th most famous South African Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Quinton de Kock (born 17 December 1992) is a South African cricketer and former captain of the Proteas in all three formats. He currently plays for South Africa in limited overs cricket, Titans at the domestic level, and Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. He was named the Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa’s 2017 Annual Awards.An opening batsman and wicket-keeper, de Kock made his domestic debut for the Highveld Lions during the 2012/2013 season. He quickly caught the national selectors’ eye when he starred in a match-winning partnership with Neil McKenzie in the Champions League T20 against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also finished fourth on the first-class rankings, despite playing only six of the 10 matches that summer. De Kock made his international debut in the first match of South Africa’s home Twenty20 International series against the touring New Zealanders during the 2012/13 season. He was asked to keep wickets in place of AB de Villiers, who asked to be rested. He has since played regularly for the team at both One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) level. In February 2014, he also made his Test debut for South Africa, playing solely as a batsman. By his 20th ODI match, De Kock had already scored five centuries. He became the fourth player to score three successive one-day centuries and the second player to score four ODI centuries before his 21st birthday. In his 74th ODI, against Sri Lanka on 10 February 2017, he became the fastest player to complete 12 ODI hundreds, bettering Hashim Amla, who had achieved the landmark in 81 innings. Before joining the Titans in 2015, de Kock played domestic cricket for Gauteng and the Highveld Lions. He has also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Mumbai Indians. Although he opens the batting in One Day International and T20 cricket, he primarily bats in the middle order in Test cricket. In July 2020, he was named South Africa’s Men’s Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa’s annual awards ceremony. In December 2020, in the series against Sri Lanka, de Kock captained South Africa for the first time in Test cricket.