A record-breaking display of power hitting by opener Richard Levi has taken South Africa to a crushing eight-wicket Twenty20 cricket win over New Zealand in Hamilton.
Levi, in only his second appearance for the Proteas, took advantage of the short boundaries at Seddon Park on Sunday night to smash 117 not out off just 51 deliveries.
He hit 13 sixes to break West Indian Chris Gayle’s record of 10 sixes in an innings of a T20 international, while he equalled Gayle’s mark for highest score.
Levi’s maiden century came up in just 45 balls, making it the fastest at T20I level and beating by five balls a record that had been shared by Gayle and New Zealander Brendon McCullum.
McCullum saw the mayhem from close quarters, as he skippered the Black Caps from behind the wicket.
Levi, 24, said it was a case of everything he tried turning up trumps.
“The wicket quickened up a little bit under the lights,” he said.
“Every shot I played seem to come off, which is quite nice.”
South Africa, chasing 174 for victory, got to that figure with four overs in hand.
The result tied the series 1-1, with the decider in Auckland on Wednesday night.
Levi showed his intent from the start, hitting three sixes and a four from the first nine balls he faced and he didn’t let up.
Some of this shots were sweetly struck, but his brute strength was such at even mistimed efforts flew over the boundary rope.
Earlier, Black Caps opener Martin Guptill fell just short of a seventh successive international half-century as New Zealand, who had been put in to bat, got to 173-4.
Guptill looked set to continue his remarkable streak on Sunday night as he reached 47, but then mistimed a pull shot from fast bowler Marchant de Lange and was caught in the deep.
The New Zealand batting slowed in the middle stages as they fell to 114-3, but James Franklin came in and accelerated the run rate by smashing 28, including four sixes, off just 10 balls.
Seamer Wayne Parnell and de Lange did well over the final two overs to restrict the Black Caps.
However, the total still looked defendable before Levi’s blazing bat put paid to New Zealand hopes of clinching the series early.
