South African batter Aiden Markram smashed a World Cup record in the team's opening fixture of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Saturday, scoring the fastest century in the tournament's history - off 49 deliveries, against Sri Lanka in New Delhi.
The previous record was held by Ireland's Kevin O'Brien (50 balls against England in the 2011 World Cup).
Markaram was one of three centurions in the South African batting order against Sri Lanka, as he ended his inning on 106 off 54 deliveries, comprised of 14 boundaries and 3 maximums.
South Africa's tremendous batting performance was just outstanding, as they reached 428 for 5, which is now the biggest total in World Cup history. Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen set the stage with a stunning 204-run partnership for the second wicket, then Aiden Markram blasted out the remaining 20 overs with the fastest World Cup century ever—a 49-ball score.
It was also the first time that three batters have made 100s in a World Cup innings, and the first time any team has managed it since England toured the Netherlands back in 2022.
Sri Lanka's spirited chase of such a mammoth total saw them eventually bowled out for 326 after 44.5 overs, making this the highest-scoring game ever seen at a Cricket World Cup.
Speaking at a post-match presser, Markram said he wouldn't be surprised if his record is surpassed during this tournament.
"I am not sure, the way batters are playing nowadays, you wouldn't be surprised if that record is broken in this competition as well. So it's nice for us to be able to go through the gears as a unit," Markram was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
The middle-order batter further said that he has undergone significant development in his batting skills over the past few years.
"Yeah, I think you do try to evolve as a batter and it's weird when you bump your head a few times, maybe exploring options that are not your plan A and are not necessarily your strengths." said Markram.
"But you try to explore them in the nets, sometimes get confidence from it, try to bring it out in the game and it doesn't work out and you go back home and you think: 'Why am I doing that instead of sticking to my strengths?'
"But ultimately, that's what it's about. You have options as a batter, and each batter's options will be quite different. But it's about really committing to those options and backing them. And if it comes off, it's fantastic. But if it doesn't come off, at least you can sleep a bit better at night knowing you stuck to your strengths and to your options," he added.
(With inputs from IANS)
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