Temba Bavuma says 'a lot more to come' from Matthew Breetzke following record-breaking knock
By
SABC Sport
11th February 2025
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma believes "there is a lot more to come from" from Matthew Breetzke after his record-breaking ton against New Zealand in Lahore on Monday.
Breetzke's sublime knock of 150 is the highest ODI total on debut in history - surpassing that of West Indian legend Desmond Haynes' 148 against Australia 47 years ago.
The Proteas' total of 301 was subsequently chased down by New Zealand with nine balls to spare with Kane Williamson posting 133 not out and Devon Conway contributing 97.
However, the result did not detract from a spectacular innings by Breetzke, who received gushing praise from his captain Bavuma.
"(On Matthew Breetzke) Yeah amazing. Look I mean, he was one of the guys who has been waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity. He is one of the few young guys who plays in all the three formats. I am sure you will see a lot of such performances from Breetzke in the near future. Hopefully he can go stronger and stronger in his career," said Temba Bavuma.
In a different context, the Proteas captain admitted that his team "did not score enough runs" during the death overs, and noted that the new ball caused them early challenges.
"Yeah, I mean, there were some positives at the end. Like you mentioned, a guy like Matthew scoring 150 on debut, and the other guys chipped in as well. Probably, in the end, it wasn't good enough, as we did not score enough runs on the board. We will try to focus a little bit more on the positives," said the Proteas captain.
Looking ahead, South Africa will face Pakistan in their next fixture, as the squad gears up for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins later this month.
"Yeah, it was a bit tricky against the new ball. They made the ball nip around early on, and it was challenging for me and Matthew. Once that went away, it was easier to bat, to be honest. Would have liked a bit more runs, but yeah, we will focus on the positives," said Bavuma.
"(Facing Pakistan in a virtual knockout) Yeah, true. Obviously, we have to be a lot better in our next game. It's not going to get any easier, as we have to be at our best in all departments. We are going to face a team who will be more clinical in these conditions. So really, as a team, we have to up our game," he added.
