BRILLIANT BREETZKE South Africa's Matthew Breetzke celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the Tri-Nation series second one-day international (ODI) cricket match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 10, 2025. Picture: Farooq Naeem/AFP
Image: Farooq Naeem/AFP
It’s not often a player scores 150 in a match and loses, much less on debut, but that was exactly the case for Matthew Breetzke for the Proteas against New Zealand in Lahore on Monday.
Breetzke became the player with the highest individual score on One-Day International (ODI) debut, and the fourth South African to score a century in his first game in the format.
It was a performance that belied his experience at international level, as he has also just played the one Test match for South Africa. That match also didn’t go according to plan, as he was out for a duck against Bangladesh in Mirpur in the first Test in October last year.
His List-A (50-over) career too, does not boast phenomenal numbers. In 59 matches, he averages 32 with just two centuries and 10 fifties.
The 26-year-old, however, has long been earmarked as one of the players for the future for South Africa and if his innings in the Tri-Nations match against the Kiwis is anything to go by, there’s plenty more knocks like this to come from Breetzke.
It was an admittedly flat track in Lahore, as the scores would indicate as South Africa’s 304/6 was chased down easily by New Zealand with six wickets remaining and eight balls to spare.
Starting out though, the pitch and the New Zealand bowlers looked completely in control.
Opening the innings alongside skipper Temba Bavuma (20), Breetzke took time to get going as he adjusted to the conditions.
Though Breetzke ended with 150 from 148 with 11 fours and five sixes, he had scored just nine off his first 21 balls and looked decidedly scratchy at the crease.
"I definitely think that first hour was the hardest batting conditions all day,” said Breetzke afterwards.
"The wicket was tacky and overhead conditions were tough with the new ball, with the bit of mist in the air. My mindset was just to get through those first ten with that new ball and kick on."
Kick-on he did, and hopefully not just in this one fine innings but in what might be a long career for the Proteas.
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