In a spectacular display of power hitting at SuperSport Park, Quinton de Kock delivered a masterclass performance that secured South Africa’s series victory against the West Indies in the second T20 international on Thursday. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, using a borrowed bat from teammate Dewald Brevis, smashed a career-best 115 runs from just 49 deliveries, featuring 10 sixes and 6 fours.
The match unfolded as a high-scoring thriller with West Indies posting a formidable 221-4 in their allotted 20 overs. Their innings was built on strong contributions from Shimron Hetmyer (75), Sherfane Rutherford (57 not out), and Brandon King (49). Despite this imposing target, South Africa achieved victory with remarkable ease, reaching 225-3 in just 17.3 overs with seven wickets remaining.
De Kock formed a devastating 162-run partnership with Ryan Rickelton, who remained unbeaten on 77. The collaboration between the two left-handers proved decisive in overcoming the Caribbean side’s total. De Kock revealed post-match that he had accidentally left his preferred bats at home, making his achievement with Brevis’s equipment particularly noteworthy.
The victory marks South Africa’s second-highest successful run chase in T20 history, only surpassed by their 259-4 achievement against the same opponents at this venue in 2023. Interestingly, De Kock scored his only other T20I century in that record-breaking match.
West Indies captain Shai Hope acknowledged the challenging bowling conditions at Centurion while praising his team’s batting performance. The visitors now face a must-win situation in the final match scheduled for January 31 in Johannesburg to avoid a series sweep.