South Africa vs Zimbabwe 2018: 1st ODI – Statistical Highlights

South Africa took 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe but not as convincingly as one would have thought after a brilliant performance with the ball. The home team’s bowlers kept taking wickets regularly after electing to bowl first. Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 117 in the 35th over. South Africans were reduced to 58/4 shortly after lunch interval in the short chase.

Heinrich Klaasen made a run a ball 44 to ensure South Africa didn’t botch up the small chase. The skipper JP Duminy saw his team through as the target was achieved with five wickets and 23.5 overs to spare.

All the major stats and numbers that were recorded during the first game of the ODI series:

5 – Number of wickets South Africa lost during their 118-chase. This is the second lowest target they chased down in an ODI game for the loss of five wickets. Saffers lost the same number of batsmen during their 106-run chase against Sri Lanka in 1999.

Zimbabwe also had their opposition five down in an ODI while defending a total as less than 117 runs. They claimed five Bangladesh wickets in the 2014 Dhaka ODI after they were bowled out for 128 while batting first.

26.1 – The 26.1 overs South Africa needed to complete the chase are the most a team needed to chase a target of 118 or less against Zimbabwe in ODI cricket. Australia took 28.3 overs to gun down 117 in the 1999 Harare ODI.

44 – Heinrich Klaasen’s 44 is the highest individual score in this ODI. This is the first time since 2007 that no player scored a fifty in a completed ODI game in South Africa. The last such instance in the rainbow nation was recorded during the Netherlands-Bermuda ODI in December 2006 hosted by Benoni.

117 – The total of 117 by Zimbabwe is their lowest total ever in ODI cricket against South Africa. Their previous lowest total against the Saffers was 119 in the Centurion ODI in 2009.

2013 – For the first time since 2013, the Proteas won a full 50-overs ODI game without any individual scoring a fifty or taking a four-wicket haul. Their last such win came in the 2013 Centurion ODI against Pakistan. They won this year’s Johannesburg ODI against India without anyone scoring a fifty or taking four wickets but their chase was cut short to 28 overs due to rain.

5011 – JP Duminy completed 5000 runs in ODI cricket when he reached an individual score of five. He is now the 9th South African to reach the milestone. The stand-in captain needed 190 matches and 179 innings to complete 5000 ODI runs.

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