3 players with the most hundreds in a single edition of the men's ODI World Cup ft. Quinton de Kock
The ongoing 2023 World Cup clash between South Africa and New Zealand on Wednesday (November 1) witnessed some pyrotechnics from the bats of Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, with the duo putting on a mammoth second-wicket partnership.
De Kock, in particular, was superb, taking the attack to both pacers and spinners to put New Zealand under pressure. He started off slowly and played second fiddle to Temba Bavuma, but grew into his own as the innings progressed before being dismissed for a well-made 114.
With his century, De Kock entered an exclusive list of players with four or more hundreds in a single edition of the men's ODI World Cup. Certain big names like Steve Waugh, David Warner, Matthew Hayden, and Sourav Ganguly have made three, but not many have managed more.
On that note, here are the three players with the most centuries in a single edition of the men's ODI World Cup.
#3 Quinton de Kock - 2023 World Cup - 4 tons
Prior to the 2023 edition of the World Cup, Quinton de Kock had played 17 innings in the showpiece event without a single hundred to show for. When it rains it pours, though, and the explosive left-hander has reeled off four in seven matches this year.
De Kock started his campaign with consecutive tons against Sri Lanka and Australia. Although he failed against the Netherlands and England, he roared back to life with an incredible 174 against Bangladesh. His superb effort against the Blackcaps was his fourth ton, taking him to the top of the run-scoring charts.
De Kock has tallied 545 runs in seven matches in the 2023 World Cup at an average of 77.86. He is also now the South African with the most runs in a single edition of a World Cup.
#2 Kumar Sangakkara - 2015 World Cup - 4 tons
Kumar Sangakkara's 2015 World Cup campaign is the stuff of legends. Although Sri Lanka were eliminated in the quarterfinals, they were carried to the knockouts by their veteran superstar, who reached a massive peak towards the end of his career.
Sangakkara made 46 runs in his first two innings of the competition, after which he cut loose. He smashed four successive centuries against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, England, and Australia to round off the league stage.
Sangakkara made 541 runs in the 2015 World Cup at an average of 108.2 and a strike rate of 105.87.
#1 Rohit Sharma - 2019 World Cup - 5 tons
Only two batters have scored more runs in a single edition of the World Cup than Rohit Sharma did in 2019. He amassed 648 runs in nine innings at an average of 81 and a strike rate of 98.33 to catalyze India's dominant run in the league phase.
Needless to say, Rohit crossed the three-figure mark on several occasions - five, to be exact. The opener kicked off his campaign with a superb century against South Africa before following it up with a magnificient 140 against Pakistan.
Rohit then made three hundreds on the trot to close out the league stage, against England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Although he couldn't make an impression in the semifinal, his prolific run in the 2019 World Cup was stunning to watch.