South Africa's Quinton de Kock has set the ICC World Cup 2023 on fire with his epic batting display.
De Kock continued his remarkable performance against New Zealand with his fourth century in seven innings. He is now only one century away from equaling the all-time record of five centuries in a single World Cup, held by India's Rohit Sharma, which was achieved in 2019.
De Kock is also the first batter in the ongoing tournament to surpass the 500-run mark, with a total of 545 runs from seven innings at an average of 77.85.
Meanwhile, Ali Tareen the owner of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, has wished that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) must allow direct signings for the competition.
PSL follows the draft model while there is a cap of eight players to be retained from the previous seasons.
"Please allow direct signings," Ali Tareen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Remember, De Kock also made 100 against Sri Lanka, 109 in the game with Australia and 174 in the victory over Bangladesh.
He started the day needing just 69 more runs to pass 500 for the tournament when the Proteas were sent in to bat in Pune.
Having completed a 62-ball fifty, including three fours and two sixes, De Kock broke through the 500-run barrier with a legside boundary off recalled paceman Tim Southee.
The 30-year-old, who will quit one-day international cricket when this tournament is over, leads the World Cup run chart ahead of Australia's David Warner (413) and New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra (406).
Meanwhile, PCB announced last week that the registration of foreign players for the 9th season of the PSL has commenced.
The category renewals of the local players will be finalised and published by PCB soon. Following the category renewals, the trade and retention window will be opened. Once the trade and retention window is open, the pick order for the player draft for the upcoming season will also be shared.
- Quinton De Kock