WATCH: Good news for star player from Nita Ambani’s MI, he breaks record of AB de Villiers in T20 World Cup 2026 with…
Afghanistan vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2026: South Africa were given a rollicking start by their two top-order southpaws Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickleton in their Group B match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Afghanistan in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. De Kock was the aggressor initially, smashing his 5th hundred in T20 World Cups off only 34 balls to take the attack against Rashid Khan’s side.
The veteran South Africa wicketkeeper, who was bought for Rs 2 crore by Nita Ambani’s MI at the IPL 2026 mini auction last year, smashed 59 in only 41 balls with 3 sixes and 5 fours and put on 114 runs for the second wicket with Rickleton, also from MI, who scored 61 off 28 balls with 4 sixes and 5 fours.
On course of his half-century, De Kock went past legendary South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter AB de Villiers. De Kock now has 737 runs in 29 match in T20 World Cup from 2014 and has become the highest run-getter for South Africa in this ICC tournament.
WATCH Quinton de Kock score a record-breaking fifty HERE…
Fifty for a man in form!
All class from Quinton de Kock as he completed his fifty in style!
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— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 11, 2026
He went past De Villiers, who had tallied 717 runs in 30 matches at a strike-rate of 143.4 with 5 fifties as well. Former all-rounder Jean-Paul Duminy is in third place with 568 runs in 25 matches while David Miller and current South African skipper Aiden Markram are in 4th and 5th places respectively.
Miller, who scored 20 in 15 balls with one six and one four, has 482 runs in 29 matches with 2 fifties in T20 World Cup at a strike-rate of 122.33. While Markram has managed to score 448 runs in 21 matches with 4 fifties at a strike-rate of 127.27.
Thanks to De Kock and Rickleton’s fifties, the T20 World Cup 2024 finalists managed to score 187 for 6 in their 20 over after batting first against the Afghans. The Afghanistan reply was led by their opener and former Kolkata Knight Riders star Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed 84 off 42 balls with 7 massive sixes and 4 fours.
Gurbaz raced to his fifty off 26 balls with 5 sixes even as wickets tumbled around him in the chase of 189. South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi picked up a couple of wickets even as Afghanistan desperately tried to hang on in what is a ‘must-win’ match for them if they hope to qualify for Super 8 stage from Group B.
But Fazalhaq Farooqui was run out in the final over with 2 needed to win, trying to go back for the winning run as the match ended in a thrilling tie. Noor Ahmed had got Afghanistan to door step of victory with a six in Kagiso Rabada’s final over.