India's Durban woes, Amla's 4000-run milestone

Stats highlights from the 2nd ODI between South Africa and India at Kingsmead, Durban

Shiva Jayaraman

08-Dec-2013

Hashim Amla became the fastest batsman to score 12 ODI hundreds.  •  AFP

Hashim Amla became the fastest batsman to 4000 runs in ODIs, getting there in 81 innings. He reached the landmark when he crossed 61 runs in Durban. Amla has taken seven innings fewer than Viv Richards, who held the previous record for the fastest to 4000 ODI runs. Among South Africa batsmen, AB de Villiers was the fastest before Amla, having reached the landmark in his 105th innings, against Pakistan in Dubai in 2010. Amla is also the fastest batsman to 2000 and 3000 ODI runs. Click here for a list of batsmen fastest to 4000 ODI runs.

Amla scored his 12th ODI hundred in this match. He is now the fastest batsman to 12 ODI hundreds, beating Virat Kohli who brought up his 12th hundred in his 83rd innings. Upul Tharanga - joint-third on the list - took 119 innings as did Marcus Trescothick. Herschelle Gibbs, Saeed Anwar and AB de Villiers took 120 innings. Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis - the other two South Africa batsmen to cross the landmark - took 160 and 181 innings respectively.

Quinton de Kock hit his second successive ODI hundred and his third ton in the last month. He is the third South Africa opener, after Gibbs and Amla, to hit centuries in back-to-back ODIs. While Gibbs hit three consecutive hundreds in 2002, Amla scored his tons against Zimbabwe in 2010.

In addition to contributing with the bat, De Kock also took four catches in India's innings. He is only the fifth wicketkeeper to hit a hundred and collect four dismissals in an ODI and the second South Africa wicketkeeper after his captain, De Villiers.

De Kock - who is 20 years and 356 days old today - is only the fourth batsman in ODIs to hit three or more centuries before turning 21. Paul Stirling of Ireland hit four ODI hundreds - the most any batsman has hit before completing 21 years. Tamim Iqbal and Shahriar Nafees of Bangladesh hit three each before they turned 21. Click here for a list of youngest batsmen to hit hundreds in ODIs.

India's 134-run loss was their fourth-heaviest defeat against South Africa while chasing in ODIs. Three of the top four losses have come at Kingsmead, Durban. Including this match, the margins of defeat for India in their last-three ODIs at this venue are: 134 runs (this match), 135 runs (2011) and 157 runs (2006). Clearly, Durban has not been a favourable venue for India - they have lost six of the seven ODIs against South Africa here. Among away venues, where India have played a minimum of five ODIs, Durban ranks as the third-worst venue for India in terms of win-loss ratio.

Both the South Africa openers got hundreds today - only the second such instance for the side in ODIs. The only other time both South Africa openers scored tons also came against India, in Kochi in 2000, when Gary Kirsten and Gibbs hit hundreds.

The 194-run partnership between de Kock and Amla was the second-highest opening stand for South Africa in ODIs. Kirsten and Gibbs' opening stand of 235 runs against India in Kochi in 2000 is the only instance of South Africa openers sharing a double-century partnership. The stand was also the highest opening partnership in ODIs at Kingsmead, beating the 170 runs added by Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden against the hosts in 2002.

The stand between Amla and de Kock was only the fourth instance of South Africa openers adding century partnerships in successive ODIs. The last time South Africa openers added 100 or more in successive ODIs was in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies when De Villiers and Graeme Smith added 134 runs against Scotland and followed that up with a 160-run partnership against Australia, both in Basseterre, St Kitts. De Villiers and Smith were also involved in successive partnerships in Centurion, against India and Pakistan in 2006-07. The first time South Africa openers achieved this landmark was in the 1992 World Cup when Andrew Hudson and Kepler Wessels added 151 against England at the MCG, followed by a 128-run stand between Hudson and Peter Kirsten against India at the Adelaide Oval.

Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli got out for ducks in this match, only the 13th time that two batsmen from India's top order (No. 1 to No. 3) were out for zero in an ODI. It was also the fourth time that Indian batsmen batting at No. 2 and No. 3 were out for ducks in the same match.

Quinton de Kock Hashim Amla South Africa India South Africa vs India India tour of South Africa

Shiva Jayaraman is a sub-editor (stats) at ESPNcricinfo.com