Record-Breaking Victories by Run Margin
South Africa’s impressive 229-run triumph over England stands as the largest victory margin in terms of runs in the current tournament. This victory margin significantly surpasses the second-largest win, a tie between South Africa’s 149-run victory over Bangladesh and New Zealand’s win over Afghanistan by the same margin.
First Batting Advantage
The commanding win over Bangladesh marks South Africa’s eighth One Day International (ODI) victory by over 100 runs in 2023, achieved in 10 out of their 18 matches where they batted first. This equals the all-time record for 100-plus run wins in a single year, previously held by Pakistan in 1999, albeit in 11 fewer matches. South Africa has also emerged victorious in nine out of the ten ODIs where they batted first this year. Their strategy of batting first and scoring big was evident in the recent match in Mumbai, which marked the seventh consecutive ODI where they scored over 300 when batting first, equalling the record held by Australia (2007) and England (2019).
Superior Net Run Rate
South Africa’s decisive victories over England and Bangladesh in Mumbai have resulted in the highest net run rate in the competition. Their current net run rate stands at an impressive +2.370 after five matches, significantly ahead of the second-best, New Zealand’s +1.481.
De Kock’s Exceptional CWC Performance
Quinton de Kock’s remarkable score of 174 is his personal best in an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, falling just four runs short of his highest ODI score. Only Gary Kirsten has scored higher for South Africa in a Men’s Cricket World Cup, with a score of 188* against UAE in 1996.
Klaasen’s Impressive Strike Rate
Among all the recognised batters in the Cricket World Cup, Heinrich Klaasen boasts the highest strike rate. The powerful number five batter, currently the sixth-highest scorer in the tournament, has scored his 288 runs at an astounding rate of 150.78. Only Kusal Mendis (218 at 146.30) and Iftikhar Ahmed (101 at 140.27) come close to matching Klaasen’s batting prowess.
Powerful Death-Overs Batting
The powerful batting display by De Kock, Klaasen and David Miller resulted in South Africa scoring a remarkable 144 runs in the final 10 overs against Bangladesh. This is the highest score in the final 10 overs of an innings in the current tournament, surpassing South Africa’s own record against England by a single run.
De Kock’s Pursuit of Individual Honours
Quinton de Kock’s three centuries have propelled him to the top of the tournament’s run-scoring charts, ahead of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Only two players have scored more than three centuries in a single ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – Kumar Sangakkara with four in 2015 and Rohit Sharma with five in 2019. De Kock is also on track to become the highest individual scorer for South Africa in an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. He is currently just 78 runs behind Jacques Kallis’ record of 485 in 2007, with four group stage matches and potentially the knockout stages still to come. The highest-ever individual score in a Men’s Cricket World Cup is 673, achieved by Sachin Tendulkar in 2003.