Quinton de Kock led South Africa to a resounding 149-run victory over Bangladesh on Tuesday. The match, which took place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, witnessed De Kock’s explosive 174 runs, the highest individual score of the tournament, and second highest in ODIs for South Africa.
Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, South Africa had to see through some early troubles as both they lost two wickets inside first 7 overs. South Africa set a formidable target of 383 runs for Bangladesh, thanks to De Kock’s extraordinary innings and the impressive contributions from Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller down the order.
Stand-in captain Aiden Markram, who led the side in the absence of an unwell Temba Bavuma, added 60 runs and combined with De Kock for a pivotal 131-run partnership. The carnage continued as Heinrich Klaasen joined De Kock, and together, they plundered 142 runs in just 87 balls.
De Kock’s monumental century saw him surpassing India’s Virat Kohli as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. The left-handed opener struck seven towering sixes and an impressive 15 boundaries in his 140-ball blitz. His last 74 runs came in just 39 deliveries.
Though a double century seemed within reach, he eventually departed after miss-timing a ball over the point that was caught well by Nasum Ahmed. However, his wicket brought no relief for Bangladesh as next to batters Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller continued with the blitz. Klaasen blazed a remarkable 90 runs off just 49 deliveries, while Miller’s quickfire 34 not out off 15 balls added to the mayhem.
South Africa’s dominance continued as they amassed 144 runs from the last 10 overs. In previous match against England, they plundered 143 runs from last 10 overs. Their batting dominance in the last overs has been out of this world thing for last 4-6 months.
The Proteas’ fiery pace attack then came into play, effectively dismantling Bangladesh’s top order, reducing them to 58-5. Mahmudullah offered resistance with a courageous 111 off 111 balls, but it was insufficient to avert a comprehensive defeat for Bangladesh.
South Africa’s Marco Jansen played a crucial role, removing Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto in successive deliveries, leaving Bangladesh struggling at 42-2. Even the experienced Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim could not stem the tide of wickets, finding themselves back in the pavilion early in the innings.
Despite Mahmudullah’s gritty century, Bangladesh fell short of the target, ultimately being bowled out for 233 runs in 46.4 overs. Shakib Al Hasan commented on the exceptional South African performance, particularly lauding De Kock’s masterful batting and Klaasen’s explosive finish.
With this convincing win, South Africa secured their fourth victory in five matches, propelling them to the second spot in the points table, just behind India. The Proteas’ form in the World Cup has been exceptional, and as Aiden Markram emphasized, they won’t take their form for granted as they continue to strive for big performances in each game.
