Proteas batsman Matthew Breetzke hit a century during Monday’s ODI tri-series fixture against New Zealand in Lahore, Pakistan.
Breetzke struck the highest score by a debutant in the history of ODI cricket.
His 150 surpassed the 148 collected by the West Indies’ Desmond Haynes against Australia in St John’s in 1978.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet and I’m a bit tired. The pitch was tacky and New Zealand seamer Will O’Rourke was really tough to face. My mindset was to bat as long as possible and give myself a chance at the end,” said Breetzke.
Breetzke became the fourth South African – and 19th among all countries – to hit a century on ODI debut.
The last South African to hit a century on ODI debut was batsman Reeza Hendricks. He did this against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2018.
In 2016, Proteas batsman Temba Bavuma hit a century on ODI debut against Ireland in Benoni.
In 2010, Proteas batsman Colin Ingram struck a century on ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein.
“I started off my one-day career quite slowly and we played on tough wickets, hence my List A numbers are not the best. I take pride in my white-ball cricket, and in one-day cricket, it’s probably the best I’ve batted,” added Breetzke.
South Africa lost Monday’s fixture despite Breetzke’s record.
Top 10 highest scores on ODI debut
- Matthew Breetzke (South Africa) – 150 v New Zealand, Lahore, 2025
- Desmond Haynes (West Indies) – 148 v Australia, St John’s, 1978
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan) – 127 v Ireland, Abu Dhabi, 2021
- Colin Ingram (South Africa) – 124 v Zimbabwe, Bloemfontein, 2010
- Mark Chapman (Hong Kong) – 124 v United Arab Emirates, Dubai, 2015
- Martin Guptill (New Zealand) – 122 v West Indies, Auckland, 2009
- Andy Flower (Zimbabwe) – 115 v Sri Lanka, New Plymouth, 1992
- Temba Bavuma (South Africa) – 113 v Ireland, Benoni, 2016
- Abid Ali (Pakistan) – 112 v Australia, Dubai, 2019
- Phil Hughes (Australia) – 112 v Sri Lanka, Melbourne, 2013