Aiden Markram slams fastest ton as Proteas maul Sri Lanka

Aiden Markram scored the fastest Cricket World Cup hundred on top of earlier tons by Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen to power the Proteas to a record 428 for 5 on their 50 overs.

The Proteas were put in to bat in their Cricket World Cup opener against Sri Lanka.

Proteas sublime after being put in

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“Very good track, we want to restrict them to as low as possible. Apart from key injuries we’re building up well,” said Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka.

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“We don’t mind, we wanted to bowl first but we’ve got batting as our first responsibility,” Bavuma said at the toss.

Temba Bavuma was a victim of early movement off an unusually grassy Arun Jaitly Stadium pitch; he was trapped LBW for 8 (5b 2×4 0x6).

Shotmaking was then the order of the day as Rassie van der Dussen joined Quinton de Kock at the wicket and moved South Africa to 27 for 1 after three overs.

Kasun Rajitha calmed things down for Sri Lanka with a maiden and the Proteas charge stuttered as they would only move to 31 for 1 by the end of the sixth over.

However once De Kock and Van der Dussen settled in, Sri Lanka might have started second guessing the choice to bowl first.

The Proteas brought up their 200 with still just one wicket down and the scoreboard ticking along nicely.

De Kock went to his hundred off 83 balls but holed out the very next ball which finally brought Aiden Markram to the crease in the 31st over of the contest.

Markram settled quickly and aided van der Dussen in getting to his hundred playing in his 50th ODI.

Van der Dussen fell for 108 as he looked to clear the rope off Dunith Wellage but the Proteas still managed to lift themselves to 291 for 3 with ten overs to go and Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram at the crease.

Klaasen brought up the 300 for South Africa with a massive six that signalled the intent to get after the bowling.

Markram takes over

Markram moved to his fifty in the 42nd over and played some of the finest strokes you’ll see on a cricket pitch anywhere.

After a massive 43rd over left Sri Lanka scratching their heads, Klaasen 32 (20b 1×4 3×6) chipped a slower ball straight up in the air but that just brought David Miller to the crease.

Markram seemingly could not be halted as he kept finding a way to get the ball to the boundary and with five overs to go in their innings, South Africa were 362 for 4. Markram had 90 to his name with Miller mostly happy to feed the strike to the elegant destroyer.

Young paceman Matheesha Pathirana, who bowls with a slingy action that puts one in mind of Lasith Malinga, was unable to channel his hero and took an almighty pasting eventually completing his ten overs at the cost of 95 runs.

Markram reached his century in just 49 balls to set a new Cricket World Cup record for the fastest hundred.

Teams

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Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha.

South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada.

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