[Watch] Quinton de Kock hits a six to smash record 4th century in 2023 World Cup during SA vs NZ clash

South Africa opener Quinton de Kock smashed a six against New Zealand to reach his fourth century at the 2023 World Cup at the MCA Stadium in Pune on November 1.

With the ton, de Kock equaled former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's record for four centuries in a single edition of the ODI World Cup. The left-handed batter is now only behind India captain Rohit Sharma, who smashed five hundreds in 2019.

De Kock brought up his ton in the 36th over of South Africa’s innings. James Neesham bowled a short-length ball on the middle and leg. The left-hander glanced it over long leg for a six. There was a shade of Suryakumar Yadav in that shot. It was de Kock’s 21st ton in ODIs.

Watch Quinton de Kock’s six below:

De Kock was eventually dismissed for 114 off 116 balls, including three sixes and 10 boundaries. He was caught by Glenn Phillips at backward point off Tim Southee.

The opening batter recently slammed centuries against Sri Lanka (100), Australia (109) and Bangladesh (174). He has become the first player to cross 500 runs in this edition of the marquee ICC tournament.

Surprisingly, Quinton de Kock pre-announced his retirement from ODIs at the end of the World Cup due to the financial benefits of T20 leagues. He is currently ranked No.3 with 765 points in the latest ODI rankings, only behind Shubman Gill (816) and Babar Azam (818).

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Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen put South Africa in pole position against New Zealand

Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen put South Africa in a commanding position against New Zealand in the World Cup match on Wednesday. The duo shared a 200-run partnership for the second wicket.

That came after skipper Temba Bavuma departed for 24 runs off 28 balls as the Proteas lost their first wicket for 38. Trent Boult provided the first breakthrough for the Kiwis by dismissing Bavuma caught out in slips.

For the unversed, South Africa are chasing their first win against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup since 1999. They have won only once in eight outings against the BlackCaps.

The Proteas are currently placed second in the points table with 10 points. They have only lost to the Netherlands by 38 runs in the first six games. The Kiwis, on the other hand, are coming off the back of consecutive losses against India and Australia. They, however, won their first four games on a trot.

Follow the SA vs NZ 2023 World Cup live score and updates here.