5 records broken as South Africa score 428-5 vs SL in 2023 World Cup
South Africa stitched up a batting display for the ages as they scored a mammoth 428-5 in their 2023 ODI World Cup league-stage encounter against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka had won the toss and had opted to send South Africa into bat first. Dilshan Madushanka struck early for the Asia Cup 2023 finalists, but it was all Proteas from the second over onwards.
Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen stitched a massive 204-run partnership for the second wicket. South Africa did not allow Sri Lanka to slide back into the game after losing their second wicket and instead piled on more pressure to render the opposition speechless.
Aiden Markram put in a special display in the latter half of the innings, while the likes of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller chipped in with handy cameos to breach the 400-run mark.
The scintillating batting show naturally made several entries into the record books in one form or the other.
On that note, let us take a look at five records broken as South Africa scored 428-5 vs SL in the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Highest team total in World Cup history
South Africa's batting display against Sri Lanka yielded 428 runs - the new highest team total in World Cup history, beating the previous record by some margin.
The previous record was held by Australia after they scored 417-7 against Afghanistan in Perth in the 2015 World Cup. David Warner smashed 178 runs in the contest, which the Aussies won by 275 runs.
South Africa broke the record in the final ball of the penultimate over bowled by Kaun Rajitha. Marco Jansen hit a six to steer the team total to 419-5 and nine runs were scored in the final over of the innings.
#2 Fastest World Cup hundred
South Africa had the desired platform in the form of centuries by Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen at the top of the order. Aiden Markram's explosive hundred was the cherry on the cake as it propelled the team's score to a whole different level.
Markram smashed 106 runs off 54 deliveries with the aid of 14 fours and three sixes. In the process, he set the record for the fastest hundred scored in the history of the competition.
The right-handed batter brought up the three-figure mark off just 49 deliveries, breaking the 50-ball record held by Kevin O'Brien in Ireland's historic win over England in the 2011 edition of the World Cup.
Markram naturally also becomes the record holder for the fastest ton ever scored by a Proteas batter in World Cups. He breaks the 52-ball record held by AB de Villiers, which was set against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup.
#3 First team to score 400 in World Cup thrice
South Africa's carnage also helped them become the first team to cross the 400-run mark in the World Cup for the third time.
They previously scored 411-4 and 408-5 against Ireland and West Indies, respectively, with both coming in the 2015 edition.
Australia and India are the only other two teams to have scored 400 runs in a World Cup innings, and no team apart from South Africa have achieved the feat more than once.
Their latest display marks the eighth time that they have scored 400 runs in an ODI innings. England and India are joint second, having scored 400 runs in an ODI innings across five occasions.
The Proteas had crossed the 400-run mark not so long ago, during the third ODI against Australia to be precise. They had scored 416-5 back then on the back of a hundred from Heinrich Klaasen.
#4 200th century for South Africa, 200th century in ODI World Cup
Quinton de Kock's knock comprising 100 runs off 84 deliveries, which was his 18th century in the format. Coincidentally, it was also the 200th ODI hundred scored by a Proteas batter.
Rassie van der Dussen ended up with 108 runs off 110 deliveries, and his century marked the 200th time that a batter crossed the three-figure mark in World Cups.
#5 Three centuries in one innings for the first time in World Cup
In ODI history, there have been only four instances where three batters have recorded a hundred in the same innings. Interestingly, South Africa account for three such cases, including their recent effort against Sri Lanka.
With the trio of Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aiden Markram crossing the three-figure mark, it marked the first time in a World Cup match that such a record was attained.
The other cases where three batters have recorded a hundred in an ODI innings are - South Africa vs West Indies in 2015 (Hashim Amla, Rilee Rossow, and AB de Villiers), South Africa vs India in 2015 (Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, and AB de Villiers) and England vs Netherlands in 2022 (Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, and Jos Buttler).