South Africa’s veteran wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock added another glittering milestone to his decorated career by breaching the 7,000-run mark in One-Day Internationals. Making his comeback to ODIs after reversing his retirement, de Kock continued his fine form against Pakistan, registering his third successive fifty-plus score in the series.
The left-hander scored a fluent 53 off 70 balls, striking six boundaries and a six, before falling to the Pakistani spin attack. His earlier knocks of 63 and an unbeaten 123 had already underlined his renewed confidence at the top of the order.
Now, across 158 ODIs, de Kock has amassed 7,009 runs at an average of 46.72 and a brisk strike rate of 96.47, including 22 centuries and 32 half-centuries, with a highest score of 178. By surpassing former captain Graeme Smith, who tallied 6,989 runs in 196 matches, de Kock now stands fifth on South Africa’s all-time ODI run-scorers list.
Leading the chart is all-round legend Jacques Kallis, who scored 11,150 runs in 323 games, followed by AB de Villiers (9,427 runs) and Hashim Amla (8,113 runs). The milestone places de Kock among the greatest ever to represent the Proteas in limited-overs cricket.
Spin Dominance Ends Proteas’ Resistance
In the deciding ODI of the series, South Africa’s promising start faded after a strong 72-run opening partnership between de Kock and youngster Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who contributed 39 off 45 balls. Once the partnership was broken, Pakistan’s bowlers took firm control of the contest.
The spin duo of Abrar Ahmed (4/27) and Mohammed Nawaz (2/31), complemented by pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (2/18), tore through the South African middle order. None of the remaining batters managed to reach 20 runs as the visitors crumbled to 143 all out in just 37.5 overs.
Despite the collapse, de Kock’s personal milestone stood out as the silver lining. His return to ODIs has not only bolstered South Africa’s top order but also reaffirmed his standing as one of the most consistent batters in modern cricket.
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