South Africa is one of the most difficult nations to play against in cricket. Be it any format of the game, the Proteas can be very brutal as a team. The country has produced players like Graeme Smith, Faf Du Plessis, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, and the list goes on and on. South Africa was the host to the inaugural T20 WC in 2007 and was one of the best teams in the tournament. Players like AB Devilliers have just revolutionized the shortest format and have set new standards. Their skippers have been among the best in the world and in this article, we look at the top 10 run scorers for South Africa in the T20Is.
1. Faf du Plessis
The right-handed unorthodox batter from Pretoria was born in 1984. He is among the best T20 openers in the world. The batter is the current skipper of the RCB in the IPL and was the top scorer for the franchise in the latest season. One of the best batters to have in a pressure situation, Faf made his T20I debut against England in 2012 and was given the captaincy role in 2012. He led the team in 40 T20I matches and scored 1273 runs. The gritty batter is regarded as one of the best opening batsmen for South Africa.
2. Graeme Smith
The opening left-handed batter displayed a show when used to be in full flow. The flamboyant southpaw was born in Johannesburg in 1981. After the Hansie Cronje incident, Smith took over the captaincy from Shaun Pollock at the young age of 22. His 259 against England at the Lord’s remains the highest score for a visiting batter. Given the T20I captaincy in 2005, the player led his team in 27 matches and scored 803 runs. He was also a key part of the 2011 ODI WC in India. He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2014.
3. AB de Villiers
The Mr. 360 of World Cricket was born in Pretoria in 1984. A B de Villiers was a former wicketkeeper batter for South Africa. He also could chip in with a few overs of right-arm medium bowling. He is a man with a big heart who dispatched the bowlers with so much ease. He holds the record for the fastest 50 and 100 in a single game in which he scored 149(44). He was given the captaincy in the T20I in 2012 and led the team in 18 matches scoring 465 runs as captain.
4. Quinton de Kock
The left-handed batter who is also an essential wicketkeeper was born in Johannesburg in 1992. A free-flowing batsman in the top order in the white ball formats, De Kock made his T20I debut against New Zealand in 2012. He was given the captaincy role in 2019 for 11 matches until 2020. He scored 416 runs as captain at an impressive average of 41.60. He is known for his attacking display of batting. He also represents the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL as an opening batter.
5. Temba Bavuma
The right-handed top-order batter with a short height was born in Cape Town in 1990. He made his T20I debut against India in 2019 and has been a regular inclusion ever since. He is also the current captain for South Africa in the ODI and Test formats. He was named as the skipper in the shortest format in 2021 and led the team in 25 matches until 2022. As the captain, he scored 386 runs. Apart from his batting skills, Bavuma is also an agile fielder.
6. JP Duminy
Jean-Paul Duminy was a former left-handed middle-order batsman for South Africa. He was one of the pillars of batting in the white ball format. He made his T20I debut against Bangladesh in 2007. Other than a batter, he was also a more than handy off-break bowler who sometimes bowled a full quota of overs. He was given the captaincy role in 2014 for 11 matches until 2019. He scored 266 runs at a decent average of 38.00 as captain. The all-rounder retired from international cricket in 2017.
7. Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram is a right-handed top-order batter for South Africa in the white ball formats. He made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2019. Known for his ability to time the ball to perfection, Markram was given the chance to lead the team earlier this year. As captain, he has scored 184 runs in six matches.
8. David Miller
David Miller is a typical left-handed middle-order batter who just knows one way to play and that is to not let the bowler settle. Considered the T20 specialist, the southpaw has finished many games for his team. He also represents the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. The batter made his T20I debut against the West Indies in 2010. He was offered the captaincy role in 2019 and led the team until 2022 in six matches. As a captain, he contributed with 140 runs with the bat in the shortest format.
9. Heinrich Klaasen
The wicketkeeper batter form Pretoria was born in 1991. He first came into the scene as the replacement for the injured Quinton De Kock in a series against India at home in 2018. His ability to stay calm in pressure situations makes him different from other batters. He has played 41 T20Is for South Africa after his debut against India in 2018. He was given the captaincy for seven matches in 2021 and he scored 139 runs in those matches.
10. Farhan Behardien
He was a former right-handed batter in the T20Is. Farhan Behardien made his debut in the shortest format against India in 2012. He got a chance to lead his team in the T20 format in 2017 for three games. He scored 64 runs as captain. He was also a handy right-arm medium bowler. The player announced his retirement from professional cricket in 2022.
