On this day in 1996 – Gary Kirsten smashes a record-breaking 188

Exactly on this day way back in 1996, former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten played one of the best ODI knocks of all time when the Proteas faced the United Arabia Emirates in the World Cup. South Africa were one of the firm favourites to win the World Cup and were up against the UAE in their tournament-opener in Rawalpindi.

As expected, South Africa thrashed the minnows with the utmost ease. The match, however, became memorable for Kirsten’s unbeaten knock of 188. The left-handed batsman had become the first World Cup centurion from South Africa thanks to that monumental knock. The match is also remembered for UAE captain Sultan Zarawani’s baffling decision to face Allan Donald without a helmet and then getting hit on the face by a bouncer off him.

Asked to bat first, South Africa were off to a solid start thanks to their openers Kirsten and Andrew Hudson. The duo added 60 runs for the first wicket before captain Hansie Cronje joined Kirsten in the middle. The two made the most of the good start by building a century stand for the second wicket, adding 116 runs.

Zarawani broke the stand when he dismissed Cronje for 57. Kirsten, on the other hand, fully capitalised on his start as he took the hapless UAE bowlers to the cleaners. He and Daryll Cullinan then shared an unbeaten stand of 145 runs to take South Africa to a massive 321 for 2 in 50 overs. Cullinan played the role of second fiddle to perfection, scoring 41 off 50 balls.

Kirsten, on the other hand, blew UAE away by slamming 188 off just 159 balls. His stunning knock was studded with 13 fours and four sixes. During the course of his knock, he also surpassed Viv Richards’ record for the highest individual score at the World Cup (181) and fell just one run short of breaking the all-time ODI record, also held by the West Indian legend (189*). He needed four runs off the final delivery to break the record but managed only two.

Kirsten’s World Cup record was broken in February 2015 when Chris Gayle blasted 215 against Zimbabwe. And just over a month later, Martin Guptill broke Gayle’s record by slamming an unbeaten 237 against West Indies. As far as the game is concerned, South Africa thrashed UAE by 169 runs as they finished their innings on 152 for 8.