South Africa all-rounder Aiden Markram smashed an unbeaten 52 runs off 36 deliveries in the match against Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. Courtesy of his knock, a century by Ryan Rickelton and half-centuries by Bavuma and Dussen, South Africa posted 315/6 in the first innings.
South Africa all-rounder smacked an unbeaten 52 runs off 36 deliveries in the Champions Trophy clash against Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Gaddafi. The Proteas managed a terrific start, courtesy of a century from Ryan Rickelton and Markram continued with the momentum to help the team post 315 runs in the first innings. He played an aggressive brand of cricket and completed his half-century in 33 deliveries.
With that, Markram created the record of hitting the fastest half-century by a South Africa cricketer in Champions Trophy history. Former captain Graeme Smith and Ryan McLaren held the record, having hit half-centuries in 40 balls each against Sri Lanka and India respectively. Markram took seven balls less to name the milestone.
Notably, after opener Tony de Zorzi departed for 11 runs, Rickelton and Bavuma took charge of the innings as they stitched a partnership of 129 runs. The captain played a terrific knock of 58 runs before Mohammad Nabi sent him packing. Batting at four, Rassie van der Dussen batted well, scoring 52 runs off 46 balls. On the other hand, Rickelton made 103 runs.
Afghanistan had a rough day with the ball as the likes of Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmed proved costly. They need a strong batting performance in the second innings to pick up a win. It is their debut match in Champions Trophy history, having never qualified for the tournament previously.
South Africa register their second-highest total in Champions Trophy history
315/6 against Afghanistan is South Africa’s second-highest total in Champions Trophy history. Their highest total was 316/5 against Kenya in the 2002 edition of the competition. Apart from that, four proteas players scored at least a half-century in the match, which happened only for the second time in the tournament’s history. India were the first team to do so in 2017 against Pakistan.
