Top 10 Highest ODI Totals by South Africa: South Africa boasts one of the best batting line-ups if not the best in ODI cricket. They have quality openers in form of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock while the likes of Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and David Miller make their middle-order look super strong. They are a side that can post mammoth scores on will. In the recent past, we have seen them creating absolute mayhem on the 22 yards. Especially when players like Amla, Kock, AB and Faf click together, they become next to impossible to contain. Even in the years gone by Proteas were blessed with batsmen like Kallis, Gibbs, Smith, Kirsten, Boucher etc.
Today we will take a look at Top 10 Highest ODI Totals by South Africa:
10. South Africa v Australia, Durban, 2016 – 372/6
Looking to make a comeback in the third game of the five-match series, the visitors, Australia gave the Proteas a big target of 372 runs on back of Warner and Smith’s ton. But in what turned out to be a colossal chase, South Africa won the match by four wickets with four balls remaining to clinch the series. De Kock had given the hosts a cracking start with his 49-ball-70 run-knock but at one stage they were struggling at 217/5. Then came a pretty special 79-ball-118 run-knock from David Miller’s bat, which proved too good for the Aussies.
9. South Africa v Sri Lanka, Centurion, 2017 – 384/6
After put to bat, South Africa made a big total of 384 runs against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park in fifth and final match of the series to ensure an easy whitewash. Proteas gloveman, De Kock and experienced campaigner, Amla scored centuries each. The dashing duo added 187 for the first wicket. Amla went on to top-score with a fine innings of 154 runs. Du Plessis and Behardien played meaningful cameos to finish the innings in a flurry. South Africa went on to win the game by 88 runs.
8. South Africa v Pakistan, Centurion, 2007 – 392/6
In 2007 when Pakistan toured South Africa, the hosts welcomed the visitors by smoking 392 runs in first game of the ODI series at Centurion. Skipper Smith was in tantalizing touch that day as he scored 72 off just 47 deliveries with the help of 15 boundaries. AB de Villiers also played a fine opening hand of 67 runs. Kallis also scored a steady 85-ball 88 but it was Mark Boucher, who created absolute havoc that day. The African keeper blasted 78 off 38 deliveries with the help of nine fours and four sixes. At the end, Pakistan couldn’t even compete with the Proteas and bundled out for 228 runs.
7. South Africa v Zimbabwe, Benoni, 2010 – 399/6
After deciding to bat first against their African counterparts, South Africa were slightly in spot of bother with both openers back in the hut at the score of 59 runs. But then JP Duminy and AB de Villiers weathered the storm and combined in a match-winning partnership. They added 219 runs for the third-wicket with both of them reaching the three-figure mark. David Miller and Albie Morkel finished with a flourish and the hosts posted a massive total of 399 runs. In reply, Zimbabwe had a pretty poor outing and they lost the game by a big margin of 272 runs.
6. South Africa v West Indies, Sydney, 2015 – 408/5
Who can forget this 2015 World Cup clash and the superb 66-ball-162* run-knock of the South African skipper, AB de Villiers. Interestingly, De Villiers’ 162 outnumbered the entire West Indies total of 152 runs. It was a match where the genius of ABDv was at the peak. He was smashing the bowlers all around the park on will and with ease. He also became the batsman with fastest ever 150 in ODIs in this game. On back of his knock and half centuries from Amla, Du Plessis and Rossouw, South Africa posted 408 runs on board. They defeated West Indies by 257 runs.
5. South Africa v Ireland, Canberra, 2015 – 411/4
Batting first, South Africa was pushed on to the back foot when they lost their opener, Quinton de Kock as early as the third over. But then Amla and Du Plessis used all their experience and put on a big stand of 247 runs for the second wicket. Amla went on to score a brilliant 159 off 128 balls while Faf scored a run-a-ball 109. De Villiers failed to live up to the expectations but Miller and Rossouw shared a brisk 110 run-stand, which propelled South Africa to 411 runs. Rossouw scored 61 off 30 while Miller smashed 46 off 23. Ireland fell short by 200 runs.
4. South Africa v Zimbabwe, Potchefstroom, 2006 – 418/5
This match between South Africa and Zimbabwe is remembered for the heroics of Mark Boucher. He had enthralled the Potchefstroom crowd with a breathtaking knock of 147 which came off just 68 deliveries. Boucher who took 44 balls to reach his hundred had then made the record of fastest ODI ton by a South African. But it was fifties from the bat of Loots Bosman (88), Alviro Petersen (80) and Jacques Kallis (50) that set up the platform for Boucher to burst. Zimbabwe could only score 247 runs in their chase and as a result lost the game by 171 runs.
3. India v South Africa, Mumbai, 2015 – 438/4
This was the series decider between India and South Africa that took place at Wankhede in 2015. On a flat pitch, the visitors made the right call and had no hesitations in batting first. After that there was no looking back for them. De Kock, Du Plessis and De Villiers went on to smash brilliant hundreds. De Kock had got South Africa off to a flier and had a great partnership with Faf. But it was AB de Villiers’ 61-ball-119 run-knock that proved to be the final nail in the coffin for India. The destructive right-hander blasted as many as 11 sixes in his innings. South Africa posted a towering total of 438 runs on the board that proved too good for the hosts. And in this way, South Africa won their first ever ODI series on Indian soil.
2. South Africa v Australia, Johannesburg, 2006 – 438/9
Beating Australia anywhere is difficult and in case you get 435 runs to chase in a series-decider, the pressure is just of different level. In other words, it’s just impossible. But in 2006, South Africa did the unthinkable when they chased down the highest ever total in international cricket. Although Gibbs played the knock of his life (175 off 111), players like Smith (90 off 55), Boucher (50 off 43) and Van der Wath (35 off 18) also played a great hand in the win. Perhaps it was the 187 run-stand (125 balls) between Smith and Gibbs that gave Proteas the hope to win. The fact that the hosts won the game with just one wicket in hand and one ball to spare made the chase all more special and thrilling.
1. South Africa v West Indies, Johannesburg, 2015 – 439/2
Wanderers has played host to quite a few big run-fests. The second ODI between Proteas and West Indies saw the hosts posting their highest ever ODI total of 439 runs. Rossouw and Amla had shared a gigantic 247 run opening stand while Amla and AB combined for 69-ball 192 run second wicket partnership. Rossouw, Amla and De Villiers scored 128, 153* and 149 runs respectively. But AB’s 44-ball-149 overshadowed the other two centurions as he blasted fastest ever fifty (16 balls) and hundred (31 balls) in a One-day International. The astonishing knock included 9 fours and 16 sixes. South Africa went on to win the game by 148 runs.
** ALL STATS ARE UPDATED TILL 30TH OCTOBER 2017.
