On February 14, Quinton de Kock scripted history as he became the first South African batter to complete 3,000 runs in T20I cricket. De Kock opened his account with a boundary in the run chase against New Zealand and achieved the major personal milestone.
De Kock became the 13th batter to score 3,000 or more runs in T20I cricket. From 105 T20Is, he has 3,018 runs at an average of 31.76 and strike rate of 142.42. The southpaw has two centuries and 19 fifties to his name. In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, he can also surpass Australia's Aaron Finch (3,120 runs), David Warner (3,277 runs) and Malaysia's Virandeep Singh (3,180 runs). However, Virandeep is a current player and can move up in the list as well.
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For South Africa, the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is is David Miller. The middle-order batter has 2,713 runs from 120 innings at an average of 33.91 and strike rate of 140.86, including two tons and eight fifties.
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De Kock contributes with cameo
In the run chase of 176, De Kock contributed with a 14-ball 20 cameo, featuring three fours and a six. In the fifth over, he was knocked over by Lockie Ferguson with a leg-cutter. De Kock shared a 62-run opening partnership with skipper Aiden Markram.
In the previous game, De Kock had become South Africa’s leading run-scorer in T20 World Cup history, surpassing the legendary AB de Villiers. He needs two more sixes to become South Africa’s leading six-hitter in T20 World Cups as well.
De Kock will be next seen in action against United Arab Emirates on February 18 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. South Africa have already qualified for the Super 8 stage after a comprehensive win over New Zealand. They have been unbeaten in the tournament so far.
Who will join South Africa in Super 8 Group 1?
As per the pre-seeding, South Africa are likely to be placed in Group 1 of Super 8 alongside West Indies, India and Australia. Currently, Australia's chances are slim after their loss to Sikandar Raza's Zimbabwe in Colombo.