Matthew Breetzke

Matthew Breetzke has emerged as one of South Africa’s most exciting ODI batting prospects and is part of the squad for the three-match home series against Australia. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter made his ODI debut against New Zealand in February 2025 and announced himself in remarkable fashion with 150, the highest score by a player on ODI debut. He followed that with four more consecutive scores of 50 or more, becoming the first batter to achieve five successive 50-plus scores at the start of an ODI career. Breetzke has continued to build his reputation as an attacking top-order player and enters the Australia series with 710 ODI runs from 13 innings at an average of 59.17.

Breetzke combines powerful strokeplay with the ability to find boundaries in unconventional areas, making him a difficult batter to contain once he settles in. He has been particularly productive square of the wicket while also possessing the power to clear the ropes, and his ODI strike rate of 96.60 reflects his positive approach. The 27-year-old will now face a highly experienced Australian bowling attack across three different venues, providing another opportunity to demonstrate his ability at international level. His wicketkeeping skills add further versatility to his role, although South Africa have several options behind the stumps. For fantasy cricket, Breetzke offers considerable upside as an attacking top-order batter, with his high scoring rate and proven ability to convert starts into substantial ODI innings making him an interesting selection.