• Lou Vincent was playing his 50th match. He became 262nd player overall and the 35th New Zealander to do so.
• Herschelle Gibbs (143) on 60, completed his 4000 runs in ODIs.. He became 49th batsman overall and fifth South African batsman to do so. It took him 120 matches and as many innings to reach this landmark.
• This was Gibbs’ maiden hundred against New Zealand. His previous highest was 91 at Birmingham in the 1999 World Cup. This was 12th hundred of Gibbs’ career and also his second highest score after the 153 he made against Bangladesh at Potchefstroom in 2002.
• Gibbs has now scored hundreds against nine countries. The only team against which he has not succeeded in scoring a hundred is Bangladesh (his highest being 60). The other batsmen with centuries against nine different teams are: Sachin Tendulkar (except Bangaldesh), Saurav Ganguly (except West Indies) and Mark Waugh (except Bangladesh).
• Gibbs’ hundred was not good enough to fetch a win for his team. This was the fourth such occasion when South Africa lost a match despite Gibbs’ scoring a hundred. However Gibbs’ 143 in this match is now the highest individual score by a South African batsman to end on losing side. The previous record was also on the name of Gibbs. He had made 116 (retired ill) against India in the ICC Trophy at Colombo in 2002.
• Gibbs’ 143 is now also the highest individual score for a losing side in the World Cup beating the previous highest of 142 by Zimbabwean Dave Houghton against New Zealand at Hyderabad (India) in 1987.
• Gibbs hit 19 fours during his innings – a new World Cup record. The previous record was of 18 fours which was jointly held by England’s Dennis Amiss, Zimbabwean Craig Wishart and Australian Andrew Symonds. However Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming, by hitting 21 fours later in the match, established a new World Cup record.
• Chris Cairns became 53rd fielder overall (excluding wicket-keepers) and sixth New Zealander to take 50 catches in a career when he took the catch of Mark Boucher. Cairns was playing his 157th match.
• Shane Bond, by conceding 73 runs in his 10 overs, now has the dubious distinction of conceding most runs for New Zealand against South Africa. Nathan Astle had conceded 72 runs in his 10 overs at Auckland in 1999.
• South Africa’s total of 306-6 is their third highest in a World Cup match after the 328-3 against Holland at Rawalpindi in 1996 and 321-2 against UAE also at Rawalpindi in 1996. However, this is South Africa’s best against a Test-playing country in the World Cup. Their previous highest against a Test-playing country was the 287-5 also against the Kiwis at Birmingham in 1999.
• Stephen Fleming (134 not out) made his fourth ODI hundred playing in his 192nd match. This is also his personal best beating the 116 not out he made against Australia at Melbourne in 1998.
• Fleming had last scored a hundred against Australia at Napier in February 1998. He thus was scoring a hundred after 104 innings. This is the third longest gap between two hundreds for any batsman in all ODIs. The world record is on the name of Zimbabwean Andy Flower , who after scoring his maiden hundred - 115 (not out) against Sri Lanka at New Plymouth in 1992 (on debut) scored his second hundred – 120 (not out) also against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 2000 after a gap of 145 innings ! India’s Mohammad Azharuddin with 137 innings in between his third and fourth hundred is placed second after Andy Flower.
• The unbeaten partnership of 140 runs between Fleming and Nathan Astle is New Zealand’s best for the second wicket against South Africa obliterating the previous best of 98 between Mark Greatbatch and Ken Rutherford at Christchurch in 1995.
• The above partnership is also the highest for any wicket by any team against South Africa in the World Cup. The previous highest was the 138 between West Indies’ Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at Karachi in 1996 - also for the second wicket.
• This was New Zealand’s first ever win against South Africa on latter’s soil.

(Article: Copyright © 2003 Rajneesh Gupta)