Quinton de Kock produced a batting master class to power South Africa to an emphatic six-wicket win in the first one-day international (ODI) of a five-match series against Australia at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday.
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The breath-taking, brutal and brilliant display by De Kock left the Australians collectively head-scratching and without any answers as he blasted the second-highest ODI-score ever by a South Africa and produced 16 fours and 11 sixes in his 178 to power South Africa to 295 for four.
South Africa won with 82 balls to spare.
South Africa won the toss, elected to bowl first and restricted Australia to 294 for nine, thanks mainly to Andile Phehlukwayo’s 4-44 in ten overs.
George Bailey slammed 74 off 90 balls with seven fours and two sixes, while John Hastings contributed a belligerent 51 off 56 balls and featured in a 79-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Bailey.
Australia lost soft wickets at regular intervals and was in slight danger of being restricted to 250 before Bailey and Hastings resurrected their innings to power them to 294 for nine.
South Africa struck 295 for four in 36.2 overs.
Everything else in the match at SuperSport Park paled into insignificance when compared to De Kock’s sensational display. He and Rilee Rossouw set up the emphatic win by slamming 145 runs off 104 balls for the first wicket.
They bisected the field with regular ease on a flat pitch and pressurized the inexperienced fast bowling attack early on by finding the gaps at will on both sides of the wicket. Both targeted midwicket, bombarding the area with pulls, hook shots and flicks off the legs.
De Kock, dropped on 57 by Mitchell Marsh off Hastings, went on the offensive after the reprieve, finding the gaps past point, cover, mid-off, mid-on, square leg and mid-wicket with a vast array of attacking strokes.
'MAGNIFICENT INNINGS'
“It was a magnificent innings by De Kock,” said Steven Smith, the Australian captain. “We probably bowled a bit too wide and too short. We will have to make better plans, otherwise we might suffer some more.”
“It was a serious knock by De Kock,” said Faf du Plessis. “I thought our bowling was ok,” the skipper, adding that he thought South Africa could definitely improve in that department.
De Kock’s 178 was the highest ODI-score against Australia, eclipsing the 175 blasted by Herschelle Gibbs in that 438-9-match against Australia at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in March 2006.
In terms of quality and class, it was an innings of equal excellence.
"During the evening the ball comes on nicely," said De Kock. "Me and Rilee didn't have to do anything extravagant."
The Australian attack, without the experienced Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner and Josh Hazlewoord, possessed a quartet who hardly possessed any variety.
Scott Boland, Marsh, Daniel Worrall and Hastings erred by bowling a tad too short and wide against De Kock.
The left-hander has matured almost out of sight since being dropped after the first test against Bangladesh in 2015.
He could produce a cover drive or a pull shot off deliveries of almost equal length, which made him almost impossible to bowl to.
Rossouw was superb, hitting his 63 off 45 balls with ten fours and a six before he was trapped in front by the legspinner Adam Zampa.
The legspinner, who took 3-37 against Ireland and is a much-improved wrist spinner, suffered at the hands of De Kock, who hammered three successive sixes off him at one stage.
After the departure of Rossouw, Du Plessis and De Kock added 123 runs for the second wicket. Their 50-run came off 45 balls. Du Plessis rotated the strike well to put De Kock at centre stage and the Australian bowlers in the firing line.
Boland was the pick of the Australian attack, taking 3-67 in seven overs
