Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], February 26 : Skipper Aiden Markram overtook JP Duminy to become the Proteas' fourth-highest run-getter in T20Is.
The South African skipper faced an upward movement in the country's batting charts during his side's Super Eight T20 World Cup clash against the West Indies at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Markram made an unbeaten 82 in 46 balls, with seven fours and four sixes to his name and scoring at a strike rate of above 178.
Now in 75 T20Is, Markram has 1,944 runs at an average of 32.40 and a strike rate of 148.73, with 14 fifties to his name and a best score of 86*. Duminy, on the other hand, scored 1,934 runs in 81 matches and 75 innings at an average of 38.68 and a strike rate of 126.24 with 11 fifties and a best score of 96*.
South Africa's leading run-getter in T20Is is Quinton de Kock with 3,085 runs in 108 matches and 107 innings at an average of 31.47 and a strike rate of 142.42, including two centuries, 19 fifties and a best score of 115.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup, Markram has made 264 runs in six innings at an average of 66.00 and a strike rate of 178.37, with three fifties and a best score of 86. This year in T20Is, he has made 367 runs in nine innings at an average of 61.16 and a strike rate of 173.93, with four fifties and a best score of 86*.
Coming to the match, South Africa won the toss and elected to field first. Lungi Ngidi (3/30 in four overs) and Rabada (2/22 in four overs) stunned the Windies batting in the first half, sinking them to 83/7. However, an 89-run entertaining counter-attacking stand between Romario Shepherd (52* in 37 balls, with three fours and four sixes) and Jason Holder (49 in 31 balls, with three fours and three sixes) took WI to 176/8 in 20 overs, with Marco Jansen's four-over spell of 50 runs being a big negative for the Proteas.
In the run-chase, Markram (82* in 46 balls, with seven fours and four sixes) and Quinton de Kock (47 in 24 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) had a quickfire 95-run partnership and later on, it was Rickelton (45* in 28 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) who had a partnership with Markram to take SA to a nine-wicket win with nine wickets in hand.