South Africa opener Matthew Breetzke scripted history on his ODI debut with an incredible century against New Zealand in the tri-series contests at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Breetzke has made a last-ditch attempt to make an entry to the Proteas Champions Trophy squad with the best possible attempt as he slammed 150 runs off 148 balls. The deadline for squad changes for the Champions Trophy is set for February 12, and Breetzke has definitely put the South African selectors in a bit of a spot of bother.
The 26-year-old became the fourth South African batter to score a century on ODI debut as he breached the mark in 128 balls with a boundary. He joined Colin Ingram, Temba Bavuma and Reeza Hendricks in the elite tally.
Breetzke didn’t stop there and even bettered his strike rate to score 150 in rapid time. It didn’t look very likely for him to break the record for most ODI runs on debut by West Indies batter Desmond Haynes’ record of 148 against Australia in 1978. However, he took up the challenge after scoring a century and needed just another 20 balls to surpass Haynes’ 47-year record.
Highest individual scores on ODI debut
Matthew Breetzke (South Africa) – 150 vs New Zealand (Lahore, 2024)
Desmond Haynes (West Indies) – 148 vs Australia (St. John’s, 1978)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan) – 127 vs Ireland (Abu Dhabi, 2021)
Mark Chapman (New Zealand) – 124* vs UAE (Dubai, 2015)
Colin Ingram (South Africa) – 124 vs Zimbabwe (Bloemfontein, 2010)
Riding on Breetzke’s record-breaking knock, South Africa posted a challenging 304-6 in 50 overs after New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won his second successive toss and chose to field.
Breetzke was dismissed after getting 150 after failing to read the slower one by Matt Henry’s slower ball and was caught at mid-off.
Earlier, South Africa, who are playing their first match of the tri-series, named four debutants in their XI including Breetzke.
After being asked to bat first, South Africa lost their skipper Temba Bavuma (20) inside the power play, but Breetzke held his ground and showed great composure to take his team format; he shared a 93-run stand with Jason Smith (41) — another batter overlooked for the Champions Trophy.
