Connor Esterhuizen creates world record with century vs Namibia [Source: AFP]
South African batter, Connor Esterhuizen, continues his dream run in the ongoing Namibia series as the Proteas star played a stellar knock in the second ODI against the hosts and entered the record books.
On a wicket that assisted the batters, Esterhuizen scored a stellar century and tormented the Namibian attack. Opening the batting for South Africa, Esterhuizen forged a crucial partnership with Tony de Zorzi and notched up a brilliant hundred to become the greatest wicket-keeper batter against Namibia.
Connor Esterhuizen leads the charge for South Africa with sensational hundred
Namibia opted to bowl first, and the decision paid off as Jordan Hermann was dismissed for 20. However, it took them 183 more runs before they got their second wicket, as Esterhuizen and De Zorzi made a mockery of the Namibian attack.
The right-handed batter started scoring at run-a-ball, but he eventually picked up pace as the Namibian bowlers had no answer to his onslaught. The 25-year-old raced away to a brilliant hundred, which apparently was his maiden ODI hundred.
He scored 119 off 109 balls, and in the process, the South African batter entered the record books.
Highest individual score by a wicketkeeper-batter vs Namibia across formats
Esterhuizen scored a classy 119, and this helped him create a world record in the process. This was the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper against Namibia (across formats).
The previous best score was 115* by the UAE batter, Vriitya Aravind. The third place is occupied by Nepal’s Aasif Sheikh (81).
| Players | Score |
| Connor Esterhuizen (SA) | 119 |
| Vriitya Aravind (UAE) | 115* |
| Aasif Sheikh (NEP) | 81 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 79* |
| T Marumani (ZIM) | 74* |
(Highest individual score by keeper-batter across formats vs Namibia)
Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan sits fourth in the table with a score of 79*, and Zimbabwe’s T Marumani is fifth with an unbeaten 74 to his name.
List of other records made by Connor Esterhuizen in SA vs NAM 2nd ODI
Most fifty-plus scores across formats vs Namibia (by a wicket-keeper)
With a stellar hundred, Esterhuizen also holds the joint record for the most fifty-plus scores against Namibia (across formats) by a keeper). He has two fifty-plus scores and sits at the top alongside Aasif Sheikh, who has two T20I fifties against Namibia.
Highest individual score by a full-member nation keeper vs Namibia
The South African batter now also holds the record of the highest individual score by a keeper-batter from a full-member nation vs Namibia.
The previous best was Mohammad Rizwan, who hammered an unbeaten 79 in a T20I game against them.
Connor Esterhuizen sustains his dream run in Namibia after ICC rankings boost
The South African keeper-batter has been in outstanding form as of late, and he also had an impact in the tri-nation series, featuring Namibia and Zimbabwe.
He amassed 126 runs, including a crucial 32-run knock in the final, at a blistering strike rate of 172.60.
In the sixth match of the tri-series, the batter struck a majestic 40-ball 88 and helped his team reach the finals of the competition. This performance helped him rise 65 spots to 25th with a career-best rating of 627 points.
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