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London - Without Quinton de Kock's 68 at The Oval on Thursday, South Africa may well have suffered their biggest ever defeat at a World Cup.
The Proteas were dismissed for just 207 in their pursuit of England's 311, going down by a sizeable 104 runs.
In 2015, the Proteas lost by 130 runs in a pool game against India in Melbourne for what is their biggest loss, in terms of runs, at a World Cup.
De Kock top-scored for the Proteas on Thursday, but the way he went out left him frustrated.
Having done all the hard work to put on 85 for the 3rd wicket with Rassie van der Dussen (50), De Kock clipped a tame delivery from Liam Plunkett on leg stump straight down Joe Root's throat at fine leg.
As is so often the case when De Kock loses his wicket, it was a massive moment in the game.
The 26-year-old stands out as South Africa's biggest weapon with the bat. He proved that again on Thursday.
As was the case with AB de Villiers when he was still involved, De Kock's scalp is the one most prized for opposition attacks when they take on the Proteas.
"I quite enjoy that I'm the guy they need to get out. It gives me that extra bit of responsibility that I must take on," De Kock told media after Thursday's match.
"Obviously today it wasn't the best shot ever, but I'll just have to learn from it and try and get the team through.
"The way I got out was frustrating.
"I've been out a lot in the past where I know what I want to do but then a shot like that comes and it's just reflex, I guess.
"It's something I'm trying to work on. One day I can get out like that and the next day I can hit it for six and then the ball is rolling. I think it's a matter of managing it."
South Africa's depth in batting has been a concern for a while now and throughout the build-up to CWC 2019, but in De Kock they have a shot-maker who is capable of taking matches away from the very best attacks in the world.
That said, De Kock has developed a maturity over the years and he knows that he alone can't win the World Cup for South Africa.
"I'm not coming here to be a superhero," he said.
"We don't need superheroes in the team, we just need guys to come here and do their jobs and that will hold us in good stead going forward.
"Everybody would like to be like AB, but unfortunately there is only one guy going around like that at the moment and he's playing for England.
"For now we're just looking to play good cricket, and hopefully that will be enough to get us over the line."
De Kock was almost certainly referring to England's Jos Buttler, who failed against South Africa by making just 10 before he was bowled by Lungi Ngidi.
The Proteas are next in action when they take on Bangladesh at The Oval on Sunday.
@LloydBurnard is in England covering the 2019 Cricket World Cup for Sport24 ...
