Matthew Breetzke has started his ODI career in a way most players can only dream of.
The South African batter first showed his class in Lahore during the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series. In the opening match against New Zealand, he made history. Breetzke became the first man to score 150 on ODI debut. His innings broke Desmond Haynes’s famous 148, a record that had stood since 1978.
In Karachi, he played against Pakistan in his second game. He looked confident and reached a half-century. Fans waited for another hundred. Had he scored one, he would have been the first cricketer to hit centuries in each of his first two ODIs.
He fell 17 runs short but still made headlines. His 83 runs gave him another world record. With 233 runs from two innings, he went past Haynes’s mark of 195 to hold the highest run total after two ODI innings.
Breetzke’s next challenge came against Australia in Cairns at Cazaly’s Stadium. It was the first match of the series, and once again he delivered. He struck a quick 57 from 56 balls. That took his total to 290 runs in three innings, the most by any player at that stage. Another record was added to his name.
The second ODI of the series, his fourth career match, brought even more. He smashed 88 from 78 balls with powerful strokes all around the ground. No batter before him had scored 378 runs in their first four ODIs. He also became the first to score four fifties in his first four matches.
Breetzke’s start has been nothing short of remarkable. South Africa has found a batter who has begun his ODI journey with records that may last for years.