A half-century in Saturday’s fifth and final ODI against Sri Lanka at Newlands in Cape Town would see opening batsman Quinton de Kock welcome a South African record.

De Kock struck five consecutive scores of 50 or more during February 2017’s series against the Sri Lankans and New Zealand – and has reached the milestone again.

The hard-hitting left-hander, indeed, is currently enjoying a fine stretch of form that has yielded five more ODI tallies of 50 or more – this time against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

He holds the record jointly with former Proteas batsman Jonty Rhodes, who gathered five consecutive half-tons in the intermediate format of the international game against New Zealand and Sri Lanka across late 2000 and early 2001.

Former Proteas skipper Kepler Wessels achieved the same between 1985 and 1992, but the first was for Australia – and the final four for South Africa.

A sixth sequential 50-plus score would have De Kock join New Zealanders Andrew Jones, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, Australian Mark Waugh, Pakistani Mohammad Yousuf and West Indian Gordon Greenidge, who have all achieved the sextet milestone.

Pakistan’s Javed Miandad holds the overall record for the most consecutive ODI scores of 50 or more. He managed nine against India, Australia, England and Sri Lanka in 1987.

De Kock, notably, hit three ODI consecutive centuries against India in Johannesburg, Durban and Centurion in December 2013.

Photo: Gallo