Ahmedabad, February 11 Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock smashed quick half-centuries to put together a century partnership, powering South Africa to 187 for six against Afghanistan in their second Group D match of the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.
Rickelton was the aggressor, scoring 61 off 28 balls, including five fours and four sixes, in a 114-run second-wicket partnership. De Kock contributed 59 off 41 balls with five boundaries and three sixes.
Sent in to bat, South Africa were dealt an early blow in the form of captain Aiden Markram (5).
Fazalhaq Farooqi (1/32) deceived Markram with an excellent slower ball, with the Proteas captain getting only the toe-end of his bat as Mohammad Nabi took a simple catch at mid-off in the third over.
De Kock broke the shackles in the fourth over, clearing Mujeeb ur Rahman over the fence and then followed it up with a boundary through backward point in the next ball.
Rickelton then joined the party, hitting Azmatullah Omarzai (3/41) for two boundaries as South Africa managed just 43 for 1 in the powerplay.
Both De Kock and Rickelton pressed the accelerator button thereafter, taking on the spin duo of Mohammad Nabi and captain Rashid Khan (2/28) with some powerful shots as they picked up boundaries and sixes at will.
Noor Ahmad, who didn't play Afghanistan's opening match against New Zealand, was taken to task by the duo as the spinner gave away 23 runs in his first over.
While De Kock welcomed Ahmad with a six over long-on, Rickelton then swept the spinner over midwicket and followed it up with two fours through covers as South Africa raced to 98 for 1 at the halfway stage.
The onslaught continued as De Kock brought up his fifth T20 World Cup fifty with a boundary off Mujeeb through midwicket and then Rickelton added salt to the bowler's wound with a maximum to score a quality fifty in just 23 balls.
It took some brilliance from Rashid and poor shot selection to break the dangerous-looking partnership with both de Kock and Rickelton departing in the 13th over.
Rashid first accounted for De Kock, caught at deep midwicket by Ibrahim Zadran and then a ball later, the Afghan captain trapped Rickelton plumb in front of the wicket with a quicker delivery that skidded on after pitching.
After the onslaught from Rickelton and de Kock, Afghanistan pulled things back to some extent with the wickets of Dewald Brevis (23 off 19), and Tristan Stubbs (1), but veteran David Miller (20 not out off 15) and Marco Jansen (16 off 7) ensured a formidable total for South Africa.
