Saturday, October 7 has come and gone but the memories will remain fresh for a long time among South Africans and followers of the country’s cricket. On that day, the cricket team made history at the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023.
The team’s match against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, ended in a resounding 428/5 win – the highest team score in a Men’s ODI World Cup match.
The symbolism of this moment isn’t lost on South Africans, who have been celebrating the team’s sterling outing ever since.
Amid the noise of the celebrations, Aiden Markram’s name stands out, and for good reason. He was in excellent form throughout the game, batting a record 49-ball hundred, reportedly the fastest in the history of men’s 50-over World Cup cricket.
With this record, Aiden, who was named player of the match, smashed the Irish batter Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball century record. Also, as a team, the South African side bested the Australians’ 417-6 record against Afghanistan in 2015. 417-6 was the highest ODI until the South Africans shattered it for good.
How long the team will hold the record is unclear, but it certainly feels good to be on top for the first time. Viba Springboks!
