Quinton de Kock could scarcely have timed his statement better. With the T20 World Cup drawing closer, the South Africa opener delivered a thunderous reminder of his destructive potential by shattering his country’s all-time T20 run-scoring record, moving past Faf du Plessis with a breathtaking innings in Centurion. De Kock reached the landmark during the second T20I against the West Indies on Thursday, January 29, producing a scintillating 43-ball century at SuperSport Park. The knock not only sealed a dominant seven-wicket win but also underlined his form heading into the global tournament. He now sits atop South Africa’s T20 run charts with 12,113 runs from 430 matches, averaging 31.46 at a strike rate of 139.10.
Longevity and consistency define de Kock’s record in the shortest format. His tally of eight hundreds and 81 fifties reflects years of sustained excellence. Among South Africans, only David Miller’s 35-ball century against Bangladesh in 2017 and Dewald Brevis’ 41-ball hundred against Australia last year have come quicker than de Kock’s ton against the West Indies. The innings rewrote several entries in the record books. De Kock has now scored centuries in the top two successful 200-plus chases by South Africa in T20Is, including the only successful 250-plus chase in the format’s history. He moved into joint second for most sixes in a T20I innings by a South African, matching Reeza Hendricks with 10, with Richard Levi’s 13 from 2012 still the benchmark. He also became just the third South African, after David Miller and Rilee Rossouw, to register multiple T20I centuries. Further milestones followed. De Kock holds the record for the most hundreds by a designated wicketkeeper in men’s T20s, with eight to his name. He is also the first South African and only the second player overall, after Colin Munro, to score two T20I centuries at the same venue. In addition, he has now featured in four separate 150-plus partnerships for South Africa in the format. His 115 from 49 balls, studded with 10 sixes and six fours, powered South Africa to an astonishing chase of 222 in just 17.3 overs. The victory gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with one game still to play.
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