South Africaโs Matthew Breetzke set a world record with five consecutive fifties in his first five ODI innings, surpassing Navjot Singh Sidhu. He also now holds the record for most runs scored by a batter after five ODI matches.
South Africaโs Matthew Breetzke has etched his name into the record books by becoming the first player in ODI history to score five consecutive half-centuries in his first five innings. The 26-year-old achieved the feat during the second ODI against England at Lordโs, where he added yet another 50+ score to his impressive run. With scores of 150, 83, 57, 88, and now a fifth successive half-century, Breetzke has made a remarkable start to his ODI career.
Meanwhile, in doing so, he surpassed the long-standing record held by Indiaโs Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had managed four consecutive fifties at the beginning of his ODI career. To add to that all-time record, Breetzke also holds the title of most runs by a batter after five ODI matches.ย
Breetzke departs for 85
Breetzke played a fine knock of 85 runs before Jofra Archer sent him back to the pavilion. Regardless, he set the tone for the finishers to come in and hand South Africa a perfect end to the innings. Notably, he stitched a crucial 147-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs, which could be vital, given that South Africa were reduced to 93/3 at one stage.ย
Openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton seemed in good form before departing for 49 and 35 runs, respectively. Meanwhile, captain Temba Bavuma once again failed to get going, scoring only four runs. For England, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer have picked up two wickets each so far. For the Proteas, they will eye to finish strong and cross the 350-run barrier. With them leading 1-0 in the series, the side will be confident of their chances.
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi
England (Playing XI): Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood