South Africa T20 Records

South Africa was only the third team to play the game of cricket in 1889, after Australia and England. But in T20 cricket, they played their first game on October 21, 2005, against the West Indies. The first ever T20 World Cup was played in South Africa in 2007, but they were not able to make it big. However, South Africa hasn’t had much success when it comes to the ICC tournaments.

They have yet to win the T20 World Cup despite playing in all eight editions. They were semi-finalists in 2009 and 2014 but haven’t gone beyond that. So what is the reason, these qualities and skills of the players or something else? Well, South Africa produced some of the most talented players in the game. So no one can question their skillset. They have been one of the unluckiest teams in history. South Africa topped the T20I ranking for the first time on August 8, 2012.

South Africa’s record in T20 internationals (Team Records)

• South Africa holds the record for the second-biggest win margin of 130 runs in the T20 World Cup. They beat Scotland in the 2009 T20 World Cup by 130 runs.
• South Africa’s 229/4 against England is the third-biggest total in T20 World Cups, which they made in 2016.
• The Proteas registered the second-biggest run chase in the T20 World Cup. They chased 208/2 against the West Indies in 2007.
• South Africa holds the record for the most successful run chase in T20 internationals. They chased 259/4 in 18.5 overs against the West Indies in March 2023. It is also the highest score batting second.
• The Proteas hold the record for the joint-second-most fours in an inning. They smashed 29 boundaries when they chased 259 against West Indies.
• South Africa holds the record for the second-highest second-wicket partnership for 168 runs between Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw against Bangladesh in October 2022.
• Quinton de Kock and David Miller hold the record for the highest 4th wicket stand of 174* against India in October 2022.

South Africa’s record in T20 internationals (Players Records)

• David Miller holds the record for the joint-most catches in a T20I inning as a non-wicketkeeper. He took four catches against Pakistan in February 2019.
• AB de Villiers holds the record for most catches in the T20 World Cup with a total of 23 catches.
• Faf du Plessis’s 119 against the West Indies in January 2015 is the second-highest score by a batter in the losing cause in T20 internationals.
• Rilee Rossouw is the only player in history (test-playing nations) who has smashed two consecutive T20I centuries in his career. He scored 100* and 109 against India and Bangladesh in October 2022.
• David Miller holds the record for the joint-fastest century off 35 balls. He scored it against Bangladesh in 2017.
• Reeza Hendricks is only one of three players (test-playing nations) to score four consecutive T20I half-centuries. He scored 57, 53, 70, and 74 against ENG, ENG, ENG, and IRE between July 2022 and August 2022.
• Quinton de Kock holds the record for the third-fastest T20I fifty off 15 balls, which he scored against the West Indies in 2023.
• Miller holds the record for playing the most consecutive innings before his first duck. He played 90 innings before his first duck.

South Africa’s T20I Records vs other Teams

Just like ODIs and Tests, South Africa holds an excellent track record in T20 internationals. The Proteas have one of the best winning percentages in this format, with almost 60. So let’s check their records against other teams in T20Is.

Team Wise Records in T20 International