T20 World Cup 2026: Quinton de Kock achieves major landmark during New Zealand clash

AHMEDABAD: South Africa's experienced wicketkeeper batter Quinton de Kock on Saturday added another feather to his cap as he became the first from the country to amass the three-thousand-run barrier in men's T20Is.

The left-handed batter amassed the milestone during South Africa's top-of-the-table clash against New Zealand, underway here at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

De Kock breached the milestone when he smashed Matt Henry for a majestic cover drive during South Africa's first over of the 176-run pursuit.

The 33-year-old had entered the ongoing fixture with 2998 runs to his name in 103 innings at a decent average of 31.89 and a strike rate of 142.42 with the help of two centuries and 19 fifties.

Consequently, de Kock became the first South African to amass 3000 runs in men's T20Is, while 13th overall in the history of the shortest format.

Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam leads the elusive list of batters with the most runs in the shortest international format, having amassed 4566 runs in 134 innings, followed by the retired India duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Batters with 3000-plus runs in men's T20Is

• Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 4566 runs in 134 innings

• Rohit Sharma (India) – 4231 runs in 151 innings

• Virat Kohli (India) – 4188 runs in 117 innings

• Jos Buttler (England) – 4000 runs in 138 innings

• Paul Stirling (Ireland) – 3895 runs in 160 innings

• Martin Guptill (New Zealand) – 3531 runs in 118 innings

• Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) – 3414 runs in 93 innings

• Muhammad Waseem (UAE) – 3306 runs in 95 innings

• David Warner (Australia) – 3277 runs in 110 innings

• Virandeep Singh (Malaysia) – 3180 runs in 104 innings

• Suryakumar Yadav (India) – 3126 runs in 100 innings

• Aaron Finch (Australia) – 3120 runs in 103 innings

• Quinton de Kock (South Africa) – 3002 runs in 104 innings

Meanwhile, when this story was filed, de Kock had scored 20 runs off just 10 deliveries, playing a pivotal role in South Africa's flamboyant start to the 176-run pursuit against New Zealand as they had accumulated 62/0 in four overs.

Playing XIs

New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and Jacob Duffy.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi.