South Africa is one of the most, if not the most, competitive teams in world cricket. The South African cricket team have had a rich history of producing some of the best players in cricket and have also had some great batters in particular. Many South African batters have produced some outstanding performances on the international stage. The following article examines some of the highest individual scores by South African batters in One-Day International (ODI) cricket.

1. Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten, a former left-handed opening batter from Cape Town, Cape Province, is the first to appear on the list. Kirsten made his ODI debut against Australia in Sydney in 1993. In 1996, he scored his highest ODI score of 188 against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) off 159 balls, including 13 fours and four sixes.

2. Francois Du Plessis

Faf du Plessis, a former South African captain and a right-handed middle-order batter from Pretoria, comes second on the list. Plessis joined the South African ODI team in 2011 and played his first match against India at Cape Town. In 143 ODIs, he scored 5507 runs at an average of 47.47 and had the highest score of 185 against Sri Lanka at Cape Town in 2017.

3. Quinton De Kock

Third on the list is South Africa’s premier wicketkeeper batter from Johannesburg, Quinton de Kock. De Kock started playing ODI cricket in 2013 and played his first match against New Zealand at Paarl. In 2016, he scored his one-day international score of 178 off 113 balls against Australia in Centurion at a phenomenal strike rate of 157.52. His innings comprised 16 fours and 11 sixes.

4. Janneman Malan

Next, we have Janneman Malan, a right-handed top-order batter and South Africa’s current opening batter in ODI cricket. Malan debuted in ODI cricket in 2020 against Australia at Paarl and has performed brilliantly so far in his young career. In 20 ODIs, he has 896 runs to his name at an average of 52.70 and has the highest score of 177 not out against Ireland in Dublin in 2021.

5. Abraham Benjamin De Villiers

Next, we have Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, South Africa’s former captain and one of their most loved players. Villiers was famous for his unique and fierce power-hitting and stroke-making. In 2017, he showed his skills when he achieved his highest ODI score of 176 against Bangladesh in Paarl. He scored these runs at an incredible strike rate of 169.23 and hit 15 fours and seven maximums.

6. Herschelle Gibbs

Next on the list is Herschelle Gibbs, one of South Africa’s most prolific opening batters of all time. Gibbs started his ODI career in 1996 when he played his first match against Kenya at Nairobi. Until 2010, he featured in 248 ODIs, scoring 8094 runs at an average of 36.13, with the highest score of 175 off 111 balls against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006.

7. Dave Callaghan

Next on the list is Dave Callaghan, a right-handed batter from Queenstown, Cape Province. Dave played his debut ODI against India at Cape Town in 1992. In 1994, he made his highest One-Day International score of 169 against New Zealand at Centurion. His innings included 19 fours and four sixes.

8. Quinton De Kock

Quinton de Kock has become one of South Africa’s most crucial ODI players in recent years. De Kock is the backbone of South Africa’s batting line-up and has amassed 5774 runs in 132 ODIs so far. In 2017, he scored a brilliant knock of 168 off 145 balls against Bangladesh at Kimberley, which included 21 fours and two maximums.

9. Abraham Benjamin De Villiers

Ab de Villiers is regarded as one of the complete batters of all time, and his numbers and records are just testimony to that. Villiers scored 9577 runs in 228 ODIs at an impressive average of 53.50. In 2015, he scored one of the most memorable innings in ODI cricket when he scored 162 off just 66 balls at a mind-blowing strike rate of 245.45, which included 17 fours and eight sixes.

10. Andrew Hudson

Last, we have Andrew Hudson, a right-handed opening batter from Natal. Hudson played his first ODI in 1991 against India at Kolkata. He scored his highest ODI score of 161 off 132 balls in the 1996 ODI World Cup against the Netherlands at Rawalpindi. In 1997, he played his last ODI against Sri Lanka at Lahore.