Matthew Breetzke of South Africa smashed his third consecutive fifty-plus score as he continued to come good in the ODIs at the start of his career in the format. Breetzke batted at No 4 against Australia and scored a quickfire fifty, playing an important role in South Africaย scoringย 296.
South Africa achieved their biggest ODI win in and against Australia as veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj ran through the hosts’ batting line-up in the series opener in Cairns to help the Proteas to a 98-run win. While it was set up by the batters, the Maharaj-led bowling unit ensured that Australia didn’t even come close to winning the game. Earlier, it was half-centuries from Aiden Markram, skipper Temba Bavuma and Breetzke, which propelled South Africa to a strong score of 296 runs, on a slowish surface at the Cazalys Stadium.
Breetzke, who smashed a run-a-ball 57 off just 56ย balls, broke the all-time ODI record of scoring the most runs by a batter in the first three innings of their career. Breetzke, with scores of 150, 83 and 57, has aggregated 290 runs in the first three innings of his ODI career, overtaking Nick Knight, who held the record, with 264 runs in the first three matches.
Breetzke also became the fourth batter to score a fifty-plus score in each of the first three matches after Navjot Singh Sidhu, Max O’Dowd and Tom Cooper. Breetzke has started so well in the ODIs that South Africa had to fit him in the line-up somehow, even when there wasn’t any space at the top of the order with Aiden Markram opening the innings alongside Ryan Rickelton. And playing at No 4, Breetzke did what was asked of him.
Wiaan Mulder provided the finishing touches to take his side’s score beyond 290. On the other hand, Mitchell Marsh was the only one to show some resistance and score runs as the Australian captain scored a well-compiled knock of 88 runs. The rest of the line-up came undone against spin.
South Africa have taken a 1-0 lead in the series and will be keen to seal the assignment on Friday in Mackay.
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