Faisalabad, Nov. 6 -- Quinton de Kock, known for his astute technique, became the player to wallop the third-most centuries for South Africa in ODIs after his batting masterclass steered the Proteas to an emphatic 8-wicket win over Pakistan at Faisalabad's Iqbal Stadium in the second fixture to level the series 1-1.

The flamboyant southpaw engineered an unbeaten 123(119), a knock riddled with luck, to knock Pakistan off the perch and gun down a modest 270-run target in the second ODI. With another classic performance, de Kock's tally soared to 22, taking him past Herschelle Gibbs' 21 ODI tons. The 123* was de Kock's first hundred since reversing his retirement, a decision he took after the 2023 World Cup.

While pursuing the target, de K...