Another De Kock special puts Proteas in control against Australia

“I find it quite tiring,” Quinton de Kock said of the one-day format on Wednesday. On Thursday he scored another hundred. 

To be fair, the context to that comment was based around his choice to retire from the format at the end of the World Cup. That decision has not made him play more freely, he also explained, but based on his performances in the first two matches of the tournament, it has made De Kock more determined. 

The 30-year-old left-hander top-scored with 109 off 106 balls at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, providing the backbone for the Proteas innings. Unlike against Sri Lanka last Saturday, a two-paced pitch and a better bowling unit meant there were no pyrotechnics in the last 10 overs, and a final total of 311/7 is something Australia, who bat deep, won’t feel is beyond their ability to chase.

De Kock’s innings was similar to the one he played in Delhi and involved a watchful start, after the Proteas were put into bat by Pat Cummins. Neither captain was certain how the pitch would play, though Temba Bavuma explained that his decision to replace Gerald Coetzee with wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was based on some patchy areas and Australia’s struggles against spin. 

Bavuma battled to find rhythm, but with De Kock quickly coming to terms with the pitch’s inconsistency the South African skipper was happy for the most part to feed him the strike. De Kock was able to locate the square boundaries on either side of the wicket with relative ease, with the a deft late cut off Hazlewood in the sixth over a sign of his control.

Bavuma rode his luck. A top-edged slog flew to third man where Adam Zampa dived in vain attempting a catch. Josh Inglis, who replaced Alex Carey as wicketkeeper, missed a sharp chance off Zampa’s leg-spin. Replacement fielder Sean Abbott lost his bearings when trying to throw the ball towards a teammate after stumbling off the ropes. 

But Bavuma stuck around long enough to share a century stand for the first wicket with De Kock, the sixth between the pair and the second in the last four matches. His luck ran out eventually when he was caught at midwicket for 35 off the impressive Glenn Maxwell.

It was an innings that saw Bavuma face 55 balls, his irritation at his inability to accelerate obvious as he flung his helmet into one team’s bags as he made his way into the changeroom.

De Kock continued on his merry way with a pair of pulled sixes off Mitchell Marsh illustrating his control. He went to his hundred with a six, too — a more powerfully struck blow off Cummins that sailed into the stands over square leg. Unlike last Saturday, his celebrations were somewhat muted, but the landmark was no less valuable, as reflected by the warm applause from teammates. 

With temperatures in Lucknow in the mid-30s, the heat took its toll on De Kock, who was bowled attempting to reverse sweep Maxwell for 109, an innings in which he struck eight fours and five sixes. 

There was another stellar display from Aiden Markram, who unleashed some sumptuous drives on his way to a 44-ball 56 that included seven fours and a six. However, the kind of dazzling hitting that was seen in Delhi, and in the last three matches of the series between the two teams in South Africa last month, was missing in the last 15 overs. 

While Australia’s fielding was at times comical, their bowlers — starting with Maxwell, who conceded 34 runs in 10 overs and took two wickets — were able to assert control in the latter stages of the South African innings. 

Having scored over 100 runs in the last 10 overs on a few occasions recently, the Proteas on Thursday managed just 79.