We take a look at the top five Proteas ODI run scorers in England, ahead of the Champions Trophy.
1. Jacques Kallis
The Proteas legend scored 818 runs in England, more than any other player. He played 25 matches and scored at an average of 43.05, which included seven half-centuries and two centuries. He played two Champions Trophy games in England, with a high score of 40 not out.
2. Herschelle Gibbs
Gibbs scored a total of 661 runs in England, which included a century during South Africa’s 2004 Champions Trophy campaign in England. He scored 101 in the Proteas’ Pool B match against the West Indies, which they lost by five wickets. His record in England stands at an average of 31.47 in 22 matches, which includes two centuries and four fifties.
3. Hashim Amla
The quiet assassin has scored more runs in England than any other player in the current Champions Trophy squad. He has racked up 545 runs in 12 matches @ 60.55, which includes one century and two fifties. The Proteas will play two matches at the Oval in their group stage, opening up against Sri Lanka and ending against India. Amla has never scored a half-century at the London-based ground, but has racked up 90 runs in three matches at an average of 30, which includes scores of 43 and 46.
He has, however, scored 81 in Birmingham during the Proteas’ 2013 Champions Trophy campaign, a match which saw them claim a 67-run win against Pakistan in the group stages. Amla will hope he can repeat these heroics in this year’s group stages when the Proteas once again face Pakistan in Birmingham in their second match.
4. Graeme Smith
The ex-Proteas captain was also part of the Proteas’ 2004 Champions Trophy side. He managed 87 runs, which included scores of 42 not out and 45 as the Proteas were bundled out of the group stages. His overall record in England saw him score 440 runs @ 31.42 which includes three fifties, two of them against Zimbabwe in the NatWest series and one against England.
5. AB de Villiers
Although Daryll Cullinan (395) and Lance Klusener (384) sit above the current ODI captain, who has 363 runs, De Villiers has the opportunity to overtake his predecessors in this year’s Champions Trophy. He has two fifties in England to his name, compared to Cullinan and Klusener’s three, but one of them came in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, when he scored 70 against India.
Cullinan and Klusener never experienced a Champions Trophy in England, but Cullinan was, however, part of the South African side that won the inaugural Champions Trophy competition, back when it was still called the Wills International Cup. De Villiers will hope he can lead his No 1 ranked ODI side to their second Champions Trophy victory when the competition kicks off on 1 June.
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
