In the game of cricket, South Africa has a mixed history. They have performed really well in all forms of cricket. But the Proteas have been unlucky in ICC World Cups. Nevertheless, they are one of the finest teams across all formats of this game. South Africa is the only team that has crossed the 400-run mark the most times in ODI cricket.
They have made 400+ total six times overall, which is the most by any team. That tells you many things about the level of batting strength they have. But do you know what the highest score by a South African batter in ODI cricket is? It’s not, so let’s check this article.
List of Highest Individual ODI Score for South Africa
| Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Kirsten | 188* | 159 | 13 | 4 | U.A.E. | Rawalpindi | 16 Feb 1996 |
| Faf du Plessis | 185 | 141 | 16 | 3 | Sri Lanka | Cape Town | 7 Feb 2017 |
| Quinton de Kock | 178 | 113 | 16 | 11 | Australia | Centurion | 30 Sep 2016 |
| Janneman Malan | 177* | 169 | 16 | 6 | Ireland | Dublin (Malahide) | 16 Jul 2021 |
| AB de Villiers | 176 | 104 | 15 | 7 | Bangladesh | Paarl | 18 Oct 2017 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | 175 | 111 | 21 | 7 | Australia | Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | 174 | 83 | 13 | 13 | Australia | Centurion | 15 Sep 2023 |
| Dave Callaghan | 169* | 143 | 19 | 4 | New Zealand | Centurion | 11 Dec 1994 |
| Quinton de Kock | 168* | 145 | 21 | 2 | Bangladesh | Kimberley | 15 Oct 2017 |
| AB de Villiers | 162* | 66 | 17 | 8 | West Indies | Sydney | 27 Feb 2015 |
| Andrew Hudson | 161 | 132 | 13 | 4 | Netherlands | Rawalpindi | 5 Mar 1996 |
3. Quinton de Kock (178 runs) against Australia at Centurion
Quinton de Kock is one of the finest opening batsmen in the current era and he is in third place. It was the first match of a five-match ODI series at Centurion. After winning the toss, South Africa chose to bowl first. Australia had a decent start and had a 64-run partnership for the first wicket. The Men in Yellow made 294/9 in their 50 overs, with George Bailey scoring 74 runs. It looked like a competitive total at one stage.
But South Africa made a mockery of this target and chased it down in just 36.2 overs. De Kock went unleashed from the start and scored a big century. He made 178 runs off just 113 balls, including 16 balls with 11 sixes. South Africa won the game by 6 wickets with 82 balls to spare.
2. Faf du Plessis (185 runs) against Sri Lanka at Cape Town
The second highest score by a South African batter came against Sri Lanka in the fourth game of the five-match series. The Proteas won the toss and decided to bat first. Despite losing the first wicket early, South Africa registered two back-to-back 100-run partnerships. But Faf du Plessis carried the innings forward. Quinton de Kock (55) and AB de Villiers (64) scored their half-centuries each. Du Plessis scored a big century to help his team reach 367/5 in their 50 overs.
He scored half of the team total and made 185 runs off 141 balls with 16 fours and three sixes. In reply, Sri Lanka also batted well but couldn’t carry on the momentum through the innings. In the end, they got all out for 327 and lost the match by 40 runs. For Sri Lanka, skipper Upal Tharanga scored 119 runs.
1. Gary Kirsten (188* runs) against UAE (Highest for South Africa in ODI)
The highest score for South Africa came in the 1996 World Cup. It was the second match between South Africa and the UAE at Rawalpindi. UAE won the toss and decided to bowl first, which turned out to be a bad decision. South Africa had one fifty and two centuries partnerships and ended up scoring 321/2 in 50 overs. it was a huge target for any team. But this was possible because of a brilliant century from Gary Kirsten.
He registered the highest score by a South African batter in ODI cricket. Kirsten made 188* runs off 159 balls with 13 fours and 4 sixes and carried his bat through the innings. In reply, UAE only managed 152/8 in their 50 overs, losing the match by 169 runs. Kirsten won the “Man of the Match” for his brilliant century.