Matthew Breetzke equals this ODI record of Navjot Singh Sidhu
What's the story
South African middle-order batter Matthew Breetzke has equaled a 38-year-old ODI batting record held by former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu. The 27-year-old achieved the feat during his innings of 112 runs off 106 balls in the first ODI against Australia at Kingsmead, Durban. Breetzke's performance helped South Africa post a challenging total of 297/8 in their allotted overs.
Career highlights
Joint-most scores of 50-plus runs in 1st 14 ODI innings
Breetzke made his ODI debut for South Africa in February 2025 against New Zealand.
In his short career, he has batted 14 times in ODIs, scoring two centuries and six fifties.
He has crossed the 50-run mark eight times in these innings.
His eight scores of over 50 are now joint-most in the first 14 ODI innings, a record he shares with Sidhu who also scored at least 50 runs eight times in his first 14 ODI innings after making his debut for India in October 1987.
Run tally
Most runs after 1st 14 ODI innings
After equaling Sidhu's record, Breetzke went on to break the record for most runs in ODIs after 14 innings.
He now has 822 runs to his name at a remarkable average of 63.23, surpassing Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq who had amassed 769 runs in his first 14 ODI innings.
This further cements Breetzke's place in the history of ODI cricket as one of its most successful players at such an early stage of their career.
Team effort
Breetzke, Jansen power SA to win over AUS
Breetzke's innings included a crucial 107-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Marco Jansen, who also impressed with his knock of 75 runs off 59 balls.
This partnership helped South Africa recover from a precarious position of 168/5 in 33.5 overs at the time of David Miller's dismissal.
The duo's efforts were instrumental in guiding South Africa to a strong total (297/8) and eventually winning the match by a whopping margin of 67 runs against Australia.