Mumbai: South African batsman Matthew Breetzke is taking the cricketing world by storm. The young opener continued his stunning start to international cricket with a superb knock of 88 against Australia in the second ODI in Mackay. His impressive innings came off just 78 balls and included eight fours and two sixes before he was caught by Alex Carey off a Nathan Ellis delivery.
This latest score adds to an already remarkable run for the 23-year-old. Breetzke’s 88 is his fourth consecutive half-century in as many ODIs, an extraordinary feat that ties him with former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu for the most consecutive fifties from debut. Sidhu achieved the record during the 1987 World Cup.
Breetzke’s incredible streak began with a record-breaking debut where he blasted 150 against New Zealand in the Pakistan Tri-Series. That century made him the only player in history to score 150 on an ODI debut, surpassing the legendary West Indian Desmond Haynes, who held the previous record of 148.
In just four matches, Breetzke has already amassed a total of 378 runs at a staggering average of 96.67, with scores of 150, 83, 57, and 88. Had he scored just 12 more runs in the match against Australia, he would have become the second-fastest South African to reach two ODI centuries.
Breetzke’s explosive start has firmly put him in the spotlight as one of cricket’s most exciting young talents.
