Not so long ago, Rilee Rossouw made back-to-back T20I zeroes in India against Rohit Sharma’s men. He has now followed that up with back-to-back T20I centuries.
Rossouw blasted 109 and shared the second highest stand in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history on Thursday with Quinton de Kock, as South Africa amassed 205-5 against Bangladesh in Sydney.
In the process he became the first batter in T20I history (from a full-member of the ICC) to score centuries in back-to-back innings.
The pair came together after opener and captain Temba Bavuma again failed with the bat, out for two in the first over.
From there it was all South Africa with the pair putting on 163 for the second wicket, behind only the 166 that Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara made against the West Indies in 2010.
De Kock fell for 63 but Rossouw powered on, bringing up the first century of the Australian tournament and only the 10th ever at a T20 World Cup.
He was eventually out going for another big hit, ending a 56-ball knock in which he smashed eight sixes and seven fours. It was the fifth highest score at a T20 World Cup.
Bavuma won the toss and batted first but the South African skipper was out cheaply again as his awful form continued.
Speedster Taskin Ahmed was coming off career-best figures of 4-25 against the Dutch and coaxed an edge with his raw pace that carried to Nural Hasan behind the stumps.
But that was as good as it got for Bangladesh as De Kock and Rossouw attacked Ahmed in his next over, pummeling 21 to assert their authority.
The pair bludgeoned fours and sixes around the ground, bringing up their 50-partnership in four overs.
Their blitz was interrupted at 60-1 in the sixth over when light rain began falling.
But they resumed after a 22-minute break, with no overs lost, and carried on where they left off.
Rossouw reached his 50 first, off 30 balls, with De Kock taking four balls longer.
They went on to demolish the Bangladesh attack, setting the new partnership record before De Kock was caught at long-on off Afif Hossain for 63 off 38 balls.
Rossouw carried on and brought up three figures before ballooning a catch to Liton Das.
South Africa went on to win the match by 104 runs as Bangladesh were bundled out for 101.
Centuries in consecutive T20I innings:
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) October 27, 2022
Gustav McKeon for France🇫🇷, 2022
Rilee Rossouw for South Africa🇿🇦, 2022#T20WorldCup #BANvSA
Rilee Rossouw 109 off 56 balls (7 fours, 8 sixes)
— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) October 27, 2022
Bangladesh 101 in 16.3 overs (3 fours, 4 sixes)#SAvsBAN #BANvsSA #T20worldcup22 #T20WorldCup
Centuries for South Africa in T20 World Cup :-
— Rhitankar Bandyopadhyay (@rhitankar8616) October 27, 2022
Lizelle Lee vs THAI🇹🇭 in 2020
Rilee Rossouw vs BAN🇧🇩 today
T20I centuries for South Africa on Australian soil :-
Lizelle Lee vs THAI🇹🇭 in 2020
Rilee Rossouw vs BAN🇧🇩 today#SAvBAN #T20WorldCup
Fastest Men's #T20WorldCup Hundreds:
— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) October 27, 2022
47 balls Chris Gayle 🏝️ v ENG Mumbai 2016
50 Chris Gayle 🏝️ v SA Johannesburg 2007
51 Brendon McCullum 🇳🇿 v BAN Pallekele 2012
52 Rilee Rossouw 🇿🇦 v BAN Sydney 2022
58 Ahmed Shehzad 🇵🇰 v BAN Mirpur 2014#SAvBAN #SouthAfrica #Bangladesh
1 - @Rileerr has become the first South African batter to register a ton in men's @T20WorldCup and only the second batter to do so in consecutive innings of men's T20Is after France's Gustav McKeon. History. #T20WorldCup #SAvBAN pic.twitter.com/TH0nbHAr8G
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) October 27, 2022
Highest individual scores for South Africa in men's T20Is :-
— Rhitankar Bandyopadhyay (@rhitankar8616) October 27, 2022
119 - Faf du Plessis vs WI🏝️, 2015
117* - Richard Levi vs NZ🇳🇿, 2012
114* - Morne van Wyk vs WI🏝️, 2015
109 - Rilee Rossouw vs BAN🇧🇩, today#SAvBAN #T20WorldCup
CENTURY ALERT
— ICC (@ICC) October 27, 2022
South Africa dasher Rilee Rossouw brings up his second T20I century and the first one at this year's tournament#T20WorldCup | #SAvBAN | 📝https://t.co/Ji9TL3CpQ9 pic.twitter.com/45g0t2Jqav
Rilee Rossouw is the first South African to score a century at the Men's T20 World Cup.#T20WorldCup #SAvBAN
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) October 27, 2022
Rilee Rossouw in the last 4 innings in T20I: 0(1), 0(2), 100*(48) & 109(59). pic.twitter.com/A8pswcP3s6
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 27, 2022
Here are some reactions to the knock:
Smashing innings from Rilee Rossouw #SAvBAN @ProteasMenCSA. For all the experience gained playing in leagues across the world; what a perfect stage to showcase his talent yet again with a 💯at the World Cup. Brilliant innings in Sydney @Rileerr
— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) October 27, 2022
Ro-came, Rossouw, Ro-conquered 😎
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 27, 2022
Rilee Rossouw bags the first 💯 of the ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 2022! 👏#SAvBAN pic.twitter.com/gxI2sQjbR7
Fantastic innings from Rilee Rossouw. His second T20I hundred of the year and he also has an unbeaten 96 in just seven innings #BANvSA #T20WorldCup
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) October 27, 2022
Rilee Rossouw 👌 Absolute class! So glad to see him back in #Proteas colours.#SAvBAN #T20worldcup
— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) October 27, 2022
An innings of such power and authority from Rilee Roussow. You could see how badly he wanted it with the emotional response to his century. Even though SA have enough, that little period around Roussow's 100 took the momentum away.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 27, 2022
I remember waking early to watch SA play in 92 World Cup, fell in love with the game and that was that. #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Fh7m4fzmdD
— Graeme Smith (@GraemeSmith49) October 27, 2022
Couldn’t not be happier for @Rileerr Has fought so hard to get back into the @ProteasMenCSA & delivers a great 💯 #SAvsBAN
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) October 27, 2022
With AFP inputs