T20 cricket has revolutionized batting. It's 20 overs of mindless slogging or the term experts call it, so that one can give credit to the batter - 'power hitting'. But even within these 20 overs, there are phases which you have to win. And one of the most important ones is the powerplay. Powerplay is an initial 6-over period that allows only two fielders close to the boundary rope. Hence, as a batter, if you wish to explore the region outside the 30 yards, this period is the most fruitful. Focusing on South African cricket in this article, we present the top scorers for them in T20 powerplays-
1. Quinton De Kock
The left-handed wicket keeper batter leads this list with 1454 runs in 78 innings at an impressive strike rate of 141. In fact, he is the only one on this list to cross the fifty figure mark in this period with a highest score of 64.
2. Reeza Hendricks
Reeza Hendricks is a classy right-handed batter. He is not the best six hitter in the world, but his ability to find gaps for boundaries puts him second on the list with 888 runs in 55 games at a strike rate of 127 hitting 117 fours in the powerplay.
3. Hashim Amla
A forgotten legend. Hashim Amla, who we generally associate with being a great test or 50 over batsman is probably one of the most underrated T20 batters. His overall records speak for themselves but even when it comes to the powerplays, he has amassed 745 runs striking at an impressive 139.
4. Graeme Smith
Known to be one of the finest captains South Africa has ever had, Graeme Smith was never an out-and-out T20 batter, yet he managed to climb number 1 in this format. He has scored 982 runs in T20s, with 628 of them coming in the powerplays at a strike rate of 121.
5. Faf du Plessis
A modern day all format legend, Du Plessis has been a prolific run scorer in T20s. Even after his international retirement, he continues to impress in leagues around the globe. Talking about internationals, Faf has scored 507 runs in the powerplays at a decent strike rate of 130.
6. AB de Villiers
ABD's T20I numbers don't do justice to the talent this man possesses. He reinvented batting by showing the world how one can use every corner of the field. Though he is sixth on this list and has scored 420 runs in powerplays, a strike rate of 117 is something we don't usually associate with De Villiers.
7. Aiden Markram
One of the cleanest stroke makers in the world currently, Aiden Markram, in just 24 games, has scored 323 runs at a strike rate of 135. He averages a staggering 53 in this period. With age on his side, he is easily climbing up a few spots on this list in the future.
8. Temba Bavuma
He is the eighth on this list, but it seems Temba Bavuma gets some advantage of being an opener here. He has scored 317 runs, but they have come at an average of 15 and a strike rate of 103. Both the average and strike rate are the lowest in this entire list.
9. Jacques Kallis
The greatest all rounder to have played this game, one can go on and on about his achievements, but let's stick to the numbers we want right now. Kallis has scored 287 runs in 19 innings in the powerplays, and his average of 57 is the best on this list.
10. Rilee Rossouw
Rilee Rossouw is known for the impact he creates in T20s with his aggressive style of play. On good days, he is an absolute six machine. As expected, he leads this list in terms of the strike rate - 153. Talking about runs, he comes tenth with 223 runs in 19 innings, and 66 of those came in sixes.
