A high-flying South Africa made several records with unstoppable Quinton de Kock being at the center of the most during their World Cup game against another tournament favourites New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune yesterday.

De Kock became the first batter at this tournament to score 500 runs and also went equal with Kumar Sangakkara at second for the highest number of centuries in one edition of the World Cup.

Having started the day needing just 69 more runs to pass 500 for the tournament, De Kock went on to smash his fourth ton of the World Cup, a 114-ball 116. Powered by a ton from De Kock and another 118-ball 133 from Rassie van der Dussen, South Africa amassed 357 for four.

Only India's Rohit Sharma, who hit five centuries in the 2019 World Cup, has hit more tons in a single edition. Sri Lanka's Sangakkara also hit four centuries in the 2015 edition of the World Cup.

De Kock makes it rain sixes

De Kock also made another record yesterday. The left-handed opener hit three maximums and 10 boundaries during his knock against the Kiwis, and with it, he surpassed Australia's Adam Gilchrist (19 sixes) to become the wicketkeeper-batter to have hit most sixes (22 sixes) in ODI World Cups.

De Kock soars to the top

De Kock also surpassed the likes of Sangakkara and Gilchrist to score the most runs by a wicketkeeper in a single edition of the World Cup.

De Kock has now scored 545 runs in seven games at a staggering average of 77.85. He remains way ahead of the second-placed David Warner, who has hit form at the right time and scored 413 runs in six matches so far.

Only Sangakkara and Gilchrist are the two other wicketkeepers who have had a better outing with the willow in a World Cup. Sangakkara ended as the second-highest run-getter in the 2015 World Cup when the left-handed batter scored 541 runs in seven matches at an average of 108.20. Gilchrist had scored a total of 453 runs in the 2007 World Cup.

Proteas on top of the six-pile

It was the fifth time that South Africa surpassed the 300-run mark as a team in the tournament. The only two times they failed to score more than 300 were during a shock 38-run defeat to the Netherlands and when they edged Pakistan by a wicket during a 270-run chase.

Hitting the 300-mark almost constantly meant South Africa dealt mostly in sixes. And it is reflected by the fact that the Proteas now hold the record for most sixes hit by a team in a single edition of the World Cup.

South Africa have hit a total of 82 sixes so far in this tournament. They surpassed England's 76 sixes in the 2019 edition.