As the 2nd ODI between Australia and South Africa is officially complete, it was clearly a dominant victory for this Proteas unit across several phases. Winning by 84 runs, this was their 2nd time throughout the series scoring 270+ and showcasing potential newer batsmen had. A group that figured out that Temba Bavuma was ruled out due to rest before this match, and even David Miller still couldn’t play, they really needed some to step up for a chance of saving this middle-order. The man who proved once again that he could score a phletorea of runs and really set up this side near two or three down was 27-year-old Matthew Breetzke, after already having a stellar start to his ODI career.
After getting to know that he would sign a 2-year all-format deal with Northamptonshire, Breetzke was able to play even more fearlessly and show what he could be as a threat. Although he was not originally set to be part of South Africa’s World Cup plans a couple of years down the line, he has quickly made himself a lock for that tournament as well. Looking at what several local analysts for this Proteas have said, it’s clear that his consistency will bode well with the top-order that this unit possesses. A type of batsman that they have yet to see before, Breetzke has already started drawing comparisons to the likes of legends like Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis after this match because his mindset remains very calm under pressure.
Record-Breaking Innings Really Helps South Africa Reach A Favorable Total
Looking at how Breetzke performed in this match and gave his side a real favorable chance of winning, he has basically been to remove competition like Rassie van Der Dussen from the mix and follow suit. Not having so much pressure on him, it really all got cleared out after he broke Navjot Singh Sidhu’s record, which stood for 38 years. Being the first player to ever hit at least a 50+ score in his first four straight innings, his knock has also helped him beat another record that stood for over 45 years, of scoring the most runs at 378 with a 94.5 average. Directly seeing today’s knock, he was able to come at 2-down and fight through an 88-run performance with relative ease.
Known for his power-hitting and also mixing it with controlled shots, he was able to get towards a near century in just 82 balls. Having absolute class and strong timing to go down the ground, his 8 fours were very noteworthy against some of Australia’s top bowlers, like Nathan Ellis. His innings truly started with a strong 16-run over against Aaron Hardie, where he had already shown great class after showcasing that flamingo shot he is well-known for. Showing a similar approach to Dewald Brevis, who himself is known as a power-hitter, he had knocked out two sixes on the legside area, and really was able to hit over various Aussie fielders who were protecting their boundary lines.
His Partnership With Tony De Zorzi Really Got The Proteas On Song
One major reason why Matthew Breetzke’s innings was so vital was due to helping South Africa get out of early trouble and relieve all pressure. As Tony De Zorzi was already in the match to hit left-handed, getting someone like Breetzke really gave a great mix-up as a righty piece. An exact duo they wanted, being 21/2 at that moment, these two were able to go for a combined 57 runs and seemed to match each other’s intensity. Seeing that De Zorzi was attacking the cover drive shots more and hitting on both leg, plus offside, it opened a lot room for Matthew Breetzke to produce big strikes early on. With him having two sixes and a boundary amongst his first 10 balls, he was able to work with De Zorzi to get them up to 56/2 at the end of 10 overs.
Although this duo went a little slower after the ending of South Africa’s power play, it was still clear that Breetzke was trying to hit around a 110/120 strike rate and attacking boundaries in open parts. Seeing that De Zorzi had started taking more dot balls towards this part and really didn’t want to go after bowlers like Nathan Ellis, there were a few top-class drives mixed in there for Matthew Breetzke to hit and get South Africa towards 90/2 before their partnership got broken. As the left-handed Tony De Zorzi lost his wicket and made the score 90/3, his partner on the other side was still batting at that moment, while being pretty close to a 4th straight knock that exceeded 50 runs.
Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs Really Changed This Match At Their Own Will
Even though Breetzke was at 40+, many fans thought South Africa was in a world of trouble since a player like Tristan Stubbs, who hasn’t been in form, was coming in. Knowing that their only hope was Dewald Brevis if one of these two got out, they went on a rampant partnership and completely flipped the win percentage of this match. With Matthew Breetzke once again being the facilitator, a partnership that went for 89 was done within a solid 15 overs, considering it was ODI cricket. A rare position where Stubbs wasn’t the primary attacker, he was able to easily settle into his role as Breetzke kept finding the fence for four and taking on bowlers by running up the wicket to smack with conviction.
In a part of the game where he hit a multitude of boundaries, it was clear that his playing fast would impact their whole unit’s score by a lot. As his innings finished at 88 runs before getting out to Nathan Ellis on a beautiful delivery that landed right into Alex Carey’s hands, the strike rate of 112.82 spoke for itself, and really showed that even when not in powerplay times, he can still find numerous ways of hitting the rope. Watching a little bit of his sweep-shot action as well, it proved that he had one of the strongest overall batting games that boded well with power-hitting ability. Knowing that this side reached 179/4 in just 31.0 overs due to Breetzke being a massive factor, Tristan Stubbs had also added over 40 runs in that partnership while playing more controlled.
Also Read: AUS vs SA: 3 Reasons For South Africa’s Heart-Breaking Defeat In 3rd T20I