Proteas v West Indies T20 rewrites record books: 517 runs, 35 sixes

South Africa set a new record for chasing in international T20 cricket when they scored 259/4 to beat West Indies by six wickets at Centurion on Sunday in a match described as “pretty crazy”.

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Johnson Charles smashed a 39-ball century for the visitors as they posted an imposing 258 for five, the joint sixth-highest total in T20 internationals.

However, Quinton de Kock responded with 100 from 44 balls, a maiden T20I century, while fellow opener Reeza Hendricks hit 68.

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Below, 9 of the craziest stats from the match, via Cricinfo statistician Sampath Bandarupalli:

259 – The target that South Africa successfully chased down against West Indies in Centurion, setting a new T20 world record. The previous highest also came in an international match when Australia chased down 244 against New Zealand in 2018.

517 – Runs scored by South Africa and West Indies, the first-ever T20I to aggregate 500-plus runs. These are also the most runs scored in “all T20 cricket – including domestic games – surpassing the 515 runs scored by Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators in Rawalpindi during the recently concluded PSL.

0 – 250-plus totals by South Africa and West Indies in men’s T20Is before Sunday. South Africa’s previous highest total was 241 for 6 against England in 2009, while West Indies’ was 245 for 6 against India in 2016. There have only been five totals higher than what South Africa and West Indies each put up in all T20Is.

81 – Boundaries by South Africa and West Indies in this game, another T20 record, going past the 78 recorded during the PSL game between Sultans and Gladiators earlier this month.

35 – Sixes hit by South Africa and West Indies, the highest for a T20I, beating the 33 sixes between Bulgaria and Serbia in 2022. West Indies hit 22 sixes, the joint-highest by a team in a T20I, equaling Afghanistan’s 22 effort against Ireland in 2019.

102 – South Africa’s total by the sixth over, the highest Powerplay total by a Full Member in men’s T20Is, eclipsing West Indies’ 98 for 4 against Sri Lanka in 2021.

South Africa needed just 5.3 overs to reach the 100-run mark, the second-fastest team 100 in men’s T20Is (where ball-by-ball data is available). The fastest is by Romania in 5.2 overs against Serbia in 2021.

15 – Balls taken by Quinton de Kock to bring up his fifty, the fastest for South Africa in T20Is. De Kock already held the Proteas record with his 17-ball fifty against England in Durban in 2020.

39 – Balls taken by Johnson Charles to complete his century, the joint fourth-fastest in men’s T20Is. It is also the fastest hundred for the West Indies in men’s T20Is, bettering Chris Gayle’s 47-ball effort against England in the 2016 T20 World Cup.

4 – The record for most 200-plus targets chased down by a T20I team, now jointly held by South Africa and India.

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