South Africa batter
Matthew Breetzke etched his name in the record books on Friday, becoming the first cricketer in ODI history to begin his career with four consecutive scores of fifty or more. The 26-year-old achieved the feat during the second ODI against Australia at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, when he smashed a fluent 88 off 78 balls to anchor South Africa’s innings.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The milestone saw Breetzke go past former India star
Navjot Singh Sidhu, who struck four consecutive half-centuries at the 1987 World Cup. However, while Sidhu took five matches to achieve the landmark, Breetzke needed just four, underlining the scale of his achievement.
Breetzke had already announced himself in international cricket with a record-breaking 150 on ODI debut against New Zealand earlier this year, the highest score by any batter in their first match. He followed it up with 83 against Pakistan, 57 in the opening match of this series against Australia, and Friday’s authoritative knock of 88.
Matthew Breetzke in ODIs so far- 150 vs NZ, Lahore
- 83 vs PAK, Karachi
- 57 vs AUS, Cairns
- 88 vs AUS, Mackay
Sidhu had scored 73 vs Australia, 75 vs New Zealand, 51 vs Australia, and 55 vs Zimbabwe to set the record in 1987. However, since he did not bat in his third match against Zimbabwe, it had taken him five ODIs to achieve the feat.
Coming in at No. 4 after South Africa lost both openers cheaply to Xavier Bartlett, Breetzke steadied the innings with partnerships alongside Tony de Zorzi (38) and Tristan Stubbs (74 off 87). His innings included eight boundaries and two sixes, and though he fell just 12 runs short of a second century, his contribution was pivotal in guiding the Proteas to a competitive 277 in 49.1 overs.
Australia’s Adam Zampa (3/63) and Nathan Ellis (2/46) ensured South Africa couldn’t push beyond 300, but Breetzke’s landmark will stand out as the talking point of the day. With the Proteas leading the three-match series 1-0, his record-setting innings has now placed them in a strong position to seal the contest.
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