Quinton de Kock’s top 3 knocks in ODI cricket

Quinton De Kock has bid goodbye to ODI cricket after a stellar but brief career. The left-handed opener could have delivered a lot more phenomenal performances at the top of the order but rather than looking at “what if,” in this article, we will look at his top 3 knocks in ODI cricket and celebrate his commendable ODI career. 

#1. 178 vs Australia, 2016

Quinton De Kock’s best knock in his ODI career came against a strong opposition like Australia at Centurion in 2016. The Kangaroos made 294 runs in the first innings and posted a challenging target for South Africa to chase in the second innings. The opening pair of De Kock and Rilee Rossouw added 145 runs for the first wicket and gave a solid start to the Proteas. De Kock was playing with a phenomenal strike rate and put the pressure back on the Australian bowlers. The Proteas chased the target in just 36.2 overs and the left-handed opener made more than half of the runs for his side in the run chase. 

#2. 174 vs Bangladesh, 2023

This is a very recent century from Quinton De Kock which he made against Bangladesh at the recently concluded ODI World Cup which was also his last. South Africa and Bangladesh played this match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. De Kock exploited the batting-friendly conditions at the Wankhede and made life difficult for the opposition bowlers. Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klassen played crucial knocks in the middle to assist Quinton which helped the Proteas to put 382 runs on the board in the first innings.

#3. 168 vs Bangladesh, 2017

Another century from Quinton De Kock that came against Bangladesh but this time in South African conditions. This inning was played in a run chase which was dominated by South Africa throughout as the opening pair of Hashim Amla and De Kock proved to be too much for Bangladesh. The Proteas chased down 279 runs in just 42.5 overs and that too without losing any wickets. Amla and De Kock stayed unbeaten to guide South Africa to a comprehensive victory.