South African batter Matthew Breetzke has written his name into history books as the first player to score fifty or more in each of his first five One Day Internationals.
The 25-year-old continued his remarkable run of form on Thursday, smashing 85 against England in the second ODI. With that knock, he set a unique record that no other batter had managed on debut in ODI cricket.
Breetzke announced himself in February this year with a stunning 150 against New Zealand on debut. He followed it with 83 against Pakistan in his second match, 57 in his third, and 88 in his fourth. With his latest 85, the right-hander has piled up 463 runs in just five ODIs.
Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu held the previous record, scoring four consecutive half-centuries after his ODI debut in 1987. Breetzke has now surpassed that mark to stand alone in cricket’s record books.
South Africa also edged past England in a thriller to seal the series. The Proteas posted 330 for eight, then restricted the hosts to 325 for nine to clinch a five-run win and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.