Although they began slowly, South Africa scored 297 for 8 ( in 50 overs) against Australia in the first ODI at Kingsmead, Durban. The Proteas struggled at the beginning after being required to bat first. They were at 83/3 after 18.1 overs, eventually reaching 168/5. Matthew Breetzke not only led South Africa’s innings from there, but he also swiftly scored an extraordinary century. This involved a 107-run partnership with Marco Jansen.
Breetzke had scored 710 runs in 13 innings by the time he arrived at the match. His century against Australia contributed 112 runs to that total, putting him 63 runs ahead of the previous record and securing his place as holder of a mark that dates back to the entire history of the format.
Breetzke’s second century in ODI cricket came at Kingsmead. In his 14 innings in the format, he has scored two centuries and six fifties, a consistent performance rather than sporadic flashes of brilliance. His innings was particularly crucial in the lower-middle order.
| PLAYER | RUNS | In | OUT | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB de Villiers, Shaun Pollock | 119 | 5/69 | 6/188 | Gqeberha | March 5, 2006 |
| Matthew Breetzke, Marco Jansen | 107 | 5/168 | 6/275 | Durban | September 24, 2026 |
| Mark Boucher, Jonty Rhodes | 97 | 5/158 | 6/255 | Durban | April 3, 2002 |
| Faf du Plessis, Ryan McLaren | 73 | 5/101 | 6/174 | Harare | September 2, 2014 |
| Farhan Behardien, Wayne Parnell | 73 | 5/206 | 6/279 | Sydney | November 23, 2014 |
Breetzke and Marco Jansen formed a partnership of 107 runs for the sixth wicket, with Jansen scoring 75 off 59 balls. That stand ranks as South Africa’s second-highest sixth-wicket partnership in ODIs against Australia, trailing only the 119-run stand between AB de Villiers and Shaun Pollock at Gqeberha on March 5, 2006.
As noted, this was Breetzke’s second ODI century, in addition to six half-centuries. The Proteas middle-order batsman, who debuted in ODIs last year, has scored 822 runs in 15 matches ( 14 innings) at an impressive average of 63.23. He scores an impressive 85.66 average against Australia, accumulating 257 runs across three matches (SR: 107.08). This total includes three scores of 50 or more, including a ton.
