Scoring massive scores in T20 cricket has become usual nowadays. The batters unleash their aggression from the very first ball, establishing challenging targets for teams batting second. However, pursuing these high totals is generally not eagerly anticipated by teams due to the intensified pressure from the start. Yet, there have been occasions when teams have managed to chase down such imposing scores successfully.
One such occasion was in March 2023 at Supersport Park when South Africa locked horns with West Indies for the 2nd T20 game of the series. The Protease registered the highest run chase in T20 Internationals.
Let’s delve into the details of this exciting and record-making contest.
Scorecard
The scorecard of both the innings is as follows:
1st Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon King | 1 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Mayers | 51 | 27 | 188.88 | 5 | 4 |
| Johnson Charles | 118 | 46 | 256.52 | 10 | 11 |
| Nicholas Pooran † | 2 | 3 | 66.66 | 0 | 0 |
| Rovman Powell (c) | 28 | 19 | 147.36 | 1 | 2 |
| Romario Shepherd | 41 | 18 | 227.77 | 1 | 4 |
| Odean Smith | 11 | 5 | 220 | 0 | 1 |
| Extras | 6 | ||||
| TOTAL | 258/5 | ||||
| BOWLERS | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Economy | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Parnell | 4 | 0 | 43 | 10.75 | 2 |
| Aiden Markram | 2 | 0 | 22 | 11 | 0 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 4 | 0 | 39 | 9.75 | 0 |
| Marco Jansen | 4 | 0 | 52 | 13 | 3 |
| Sisanda Magala | 4 | 0 | 67 | 16.75 | 0 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | 2 | 0 | 33 | 16.5 | 0 |
2nd Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinton de Kock † | 100 | 44 | 227.27 | 9 | 8 |
| Reeza Hendricks | 68 | 28 | 242.85 | 11 | 2 |
| Rilee Rossouw | 16 | 4 | 400 | 1 | 2 |
| David Miller | 10 | 10 | 100 | 1 | 0 |
| Aiden Markram (c) | 38 | 21 | 180.95 | 4 | 1 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | 16 | 7 | 228.57 | 3 | 0 |
| Extras | 11 | ||||
| TOTAL | 259/4 | ||||
| BOWLERS | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akeal Hosein | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 16.5 |
| Sheldon Cottrell | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Jason Holder | 4 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 12 |
| Romario Shepherd | 3.5 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 11.47 |
| Odean Smith | 2 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 18 |
| Raymon Reifer | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 10.5 |
| Rovman Powell | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 13.5 |
Toss and Playing XI’s
South Africa won the toss and asked West Indies to bat first. Below are the playing XIs of both teams:
South Africa’s Playing XI
- Quinton De Kock (wicketkeeper)
- Reeza Hendricks
- Rilee Rossouw
- Aiden Markram (captain)
- David Miller
- Heinrich Klaassen
- Marco Jansen
- Wayne Parnell
- Sisanda Magala
- Kagiso Rabada
- Tabraiz Shamsi
West Indies Playing XI
- Kyle Mayers
- Brandon King
- Johnson Charles
- Nicholas Pooran (wicketkeeper)
- Rovman Powell (captain)
- Raymon Reifer
- Romario Shepherd
- Odean Smith
- Jason Holder
- Sheldon Cottrell
- Akeal Hosein
West Indies Innings
Charles and Mayers Showing their Intent
Despite the wicket of Brandon King on the 3rd ball of the first over, Johnson Charles didn’t hesitate to score 2 boundaries on the last 2 balls of Parnell. Kyle Mayers also joined him, scoring boundaries, and both took 17 runs in the 3rd over.
However, when Marco Jansen came to ball the 5th over, Johnson showed his real aggression. He smashed him for 2 boundaries and 2 towering sixes, taking 20 runs in that over. After the end of 1st powerplay, West Indies posted 62/1 on the board.
Sisanda Magala faced a challenge in his first over as Kyle Mayers hammered him for 21 runs. Mayers showcased his power by smashing the longest six of the innings, 114 meters over midwicket. Charles reached his half-century in just 23 balls by dispatching Tabraiz Shamsi over square leg. Following him, Mayers achieved his fifty in 24 balls.
Charles bashed Shamsi with 2 might sixes, and Mayers also smashed a six into the crowd in that over. West Indies reached 137/1 in 10 overs. However, Jansen provided the double wicket over to put some break on the score. He took the wickets of Mayers and Pooran in that over.
Charles continued the carnage, and he dispatched Kagiso Rabada for a 6 over square leg, followed by a 4 to Magala. He reached his century with a stylish drive over extra-cover. When Jansen returned to the bowling attack, Charles hit him for sixes over extra cover and long-off and then a boundary through fine leg. Charles was eventually dismissed with a yorker by Jansen.
Promising Finish by Shepherd
Romario Shepherd continued the aggressive momentum left by Charles when he flicked a full toss off his pads for his first boundary. He then unleashed on Magala, extracting 2 sixes in the third over bowled by the latter. Rabada came back in the attack, but even he couldn’t escape Shepherd’s and Rovman Powell’s brutal attack, conceding 18 runs in his final over.
In the last over delivered by Magala, he was hammered with 2 sixes over mid-wicket and long-on. West Indies accumulated 79 runs in the last six overs, with Shepherd remaining unbeaten on 41 off 18 balls.
South Africa’s Innings
A Stirring Run Chase
Quinton de Kock started the chase as South Africa would have hoped. He initiated his assault with consecutive fours off Akeal Hosein. He presented an impressive display of power by slamming 3 successive sixes off Sheldon Cottrell’s over, costing 29 runs. De Kock encountered a stroke of luck when he was dropped on 32.
Reeza Hendricks also took charge off Holder, smashing him 4 boundaries in the over. De Kock reached his 50 runs by hammering a 6 over backward square leg. He reached this milestone off just 15 balls, and it was the fastest half-century by a South African in T20 Internationals. By the end of 1st powerplay, both batters posted 102/0.
The pair continued his dominance by striking boundaries in every over. South Africa reached 149 runs in the first 10 overs of the innings. These were the record runs in 1st 10 overs in any T20I match.
The partnership of 152 runs between de Kock and Reeza Hendricks stands as South Africa’s fourth-highest of all time. QDK achieved the milestone of the century in the 11th over off 43 balls.
Following de Kock’s departure, Hendricks showcased his attacking skills by hitting his first six off Odean Smith. He reached his half-century in just 22 balls. Hendricks displayed an aggressive intent, scoring 16 runs off the 5 successive balls.
His innings was cut short when he top-edged a slower bouncer, resulting in a caught-behind dismissal. The Protease needed 66 runs off 44 balls to clinch the highest run chase in T20.
Markram and Klaasen Winning it for Protease
After Hendricks’ dismissal, West Indies managed to pull themselves in the game. Between the 14th and the 16th over, only two boundaries were scored, and David Miller was caught at the long-off boundary. However, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen then joined forces to conclude the innings.
Markram took Raymon Reifer to the cleaners by scoring 17 runs off his fourth over, including a mighty six over long-on. Klaasen, on the other hand, seized the initiative by taking successive fours off Jason Holder. South Africa successfully secured the victory with 7 deliveries to spare.
Conclusion
The match between South Africa and West Indies at Supersports Park was a high-scoring game for both sides. The West Indies posted a formidable total of 258/5 while batting first. The standout performance came from Johnson Charles, who scored a sensational 118 off just 46 balls.
Kyle Mayers also played quick innings of 51 runs, including four massive sixes. Jansen took 3 wickets, while Parnell had 2 in his spell.
The Protease chased down the target in just 18.5 overs. Quinton de Kock played a blazing innings, smashing 100 runs in 44 balls. Reeza Hendricks contributed significantly with a rapid 68 off 28 balls, playing a crucial role in guiding their team to the highest run chase in T20 Internationals.
This game featured a total of 35 towering sixes. QDK was adjudged Player of the Match for his terrific century.
