New Delhi: Matthew Breetzke cemented his reputation as the next big thing from South Africa with a record-breaking innings on his ODI debut. The young South African opener played one of the best One-Day international knocks on Pakistani soil in the third match of the ongoing ODI tri-series against New Zealand.
Breetzke smashed 150 on his ODI debut to set a new record of the highest score by a debutant in ODI history. The right-handed batter reached his maiden ton in 128 balls and cut loose to help the Proteas finishing strongly with a score of 304/6 at the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore.
Breetzke surpassed West Indies legend Desmond Haynes’s debut score of 148 which he notched up against Australia in 1978.
The young opener also became the fourth South African to score a century on ODI debut, joining Colin Ingram, Temba Bavuma, and Reeza Hendricks in the elite list.
Who is Matthew Breetzke?
Making waves since his young days, Breetzke has even earned comparisons to Virat Kohli owing to his incredible ability. The top-order batter also boasts an sense in the field and has earned a reputation of being an outstanding fielder.
At 14 in his school days, Breetzke was already a key member of South Africa’s Under-19 squad. He amassed over 1,000 runs in 25 youth ODIs and was key performer for the Proteas at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, where he emerged his team’s second-highest run-scorer.
Breetzke also stole the headlines in T20 format with his domestic performances led to his selection for South Africa’s T20I team in September 2023 and a debut against Australia. In 2024 SA20, he finished third in the run tally before scoring the most runs in the CSA T20 Challenge. Despite his remarkable run in domestic T20 cricket, he was snubbed from South Africa’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad.
His remarkable performances didn’t go unnoticed as Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) signed him for Rs 57 lakh ahead of the 2025 IPL season.
Despite the disappointment in international T20Is, he grabbed the opportunity on his ODI debut with both hands.
Matthew Breetzke: Making waves since his young days, the South African opener has even earned comparisons to Virat Kohli owing to his incredible batting ability. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
