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World Cup 2006/07 / News

Netherlands v South Africa, Group A, St Kitts

Gibbs sets records galore

S Rajesh and HR Gopalakrishna

March 16, 2007

Text size: A | A

Wet weather delayed the start at Warner Park, but when play did get underway it rained fours and sixes as South Africa amassed a monumental 353 in 40 overs. Here are the highlights from the game.

Herschelle Gibbs is suitably pleased with his day's work © Getty Images

Herschelle Gibbs made history by becoming the first batsman to hit six sixes in one-day internationals. The earlier record for most number of runs in an over was 30, which Sanath Jayasuriya managed twice, against Aamer Sohail (in Singapore in 1995-96) and Chris Harris (at Sharjah in 2000-01). Dan van Bunge's innocuous stuff meant that the bar has been upped significantly. (Click here for a list of most runs in an over.)

Gibbs's seven sixes in the innings was only one less than the World Cup record for a single innings - Ricky Ponting had slammed eight in that memorable 140 not out in the World Cup final in 2003.

Gibbs was at his violent best, but by no means was he the only one to wreck havoc. Mark Boucher slammed 75 from 31 balls, and on the way notched up the fastest half-century in World Cups: he got to the mark off 21 balls, bettering Brian Lara's 23-ball effort against Canada at Centurion in 2003. (Click here for the fastest 100s and 50s in ODIs.) Boucher's half-century was also the first by a South African wicketkeeper in World Cups.

South Africa's total of 353 for 3 is their highest World Cup score and the best total in a 40-over match, while it was also the fifth-highest by any team in all editions of the tournament. Their run-rate of 8.82 is the fourth-best in a World Cup innings, but the highest by a team batting first.

The 18 sixes that South Africa slammed in the innings is an ODI record too, going past the earlier record of 16, which had been achieved twice: New Zealand got that many against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, while New Zealand were themselves at the receiving end against the Australians in the Chappell-Hadlee Series match at Hamilton earlier this year.

This was also the first time there were three century stands in a single innings of a one-day international. After AB de Villiers's second-ball dismissal, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis added 114 for the second wicket, Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs put together 105 for the third, while Kallis and Boucher added 134 for the fourth.

South Africa's 221-run victory is now the third-largest victory margin in World Cups. In fact in the last three days, there have been three games which have been won by a margin of more than 200 runs. (Click here for the largest World Cup wins.)

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S Rajesh

Stats editor Every week we take a look at the story behind the stats, with an original slant on facts and figures. The column is written by S Rajesh, Cricinfo's stats editor. Rajesh did an MBA in marketing, and then worked for a year in advertising, before deciding to chuck it in favour of a job that would combine the pleasures of watching cricket and writing about it. The intense matches of office cricket were an added bonus.

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