Cricket World Cup 2023: Quinton De Kock pips Virat Kohli as leading run-scorer

The South African opener hit an inspired 174 against Bangladesh in Mumbai on Tuesday to become the leading run-scorer in the tournament after five games.

de Kock’s stunning effort at the Wankhede Stadium was his third century in five tournament games, following from his 100 against Sri Lanka and 109 against Australia earlier in the month.

The opener’s brilliant form means he has 407 runs to his name at the tournament, with the closest challengers being Kohli with 354, Rohit Sharma’s 311, and Mohammad Rizwan’s 302.

Big-hitting South African Heinrich Klaasen is the team’s second-highest scorer with 288 runs at a strike rate of 150.78 – the fastest scoring rate of any specialist batter at the tournament.

Speaking after his brilliant 174, de Kock was keen to credit his team rather than focus on his own efforts.

de Kock said, “I think to be honest I’m a bit more tired than satisfied, but it was a great day out for the guys, I think we all played very well and everyone played their part.

“I was a little bit nervous this morning. Polly (Shaun Pollock) came in and gave us a speech and I’m normally not one of these guys who gets nervous, but for some reason I was. But it was a great day, I had a bit of fun."

The batter added, “He (Klaasen) has been absolutely amazing. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I need some of that juice that he’s having. He’s just been special, not just for us but everywhere around the world he’s been really special this year. He’s taking it by storm and I’m very happy for him.”

India’s Kohli and Rohit had been the two leading scorers in the tournament prior to Tuesday’s game, with the Indian pair showing excellent form to help their side to the top of the standings.

Kohli fell narrowly short of back-to-back centuries when he was dismissed for 95 against New Zealand on Sunday, while the captain has made sizeable and fast-paced contributions in each of his last four innings.