Matthew Breetzke passed 50 for the fifth time in consecutive ODIs in South Africa’s second game against England at Lord’s today (September 4), taking over another record in his brief career in the format.
The 26-year-old came into bat at No.4 at the Home of Cricket, replacing captain Temba Bavuma who was out for four. The Proteas soon lost Aiden Markram one short of a second consecutive half-century, leaving Tristan Stubbs and Breetzke to build a partnership through the middle overs. After taking eight balls to get off the mark, Breetzke caught up on his strike rate when Jacob Bethell was brought on to bowl, hitting a four and a six off consecutive balls from the all-rounder.
By the time he reached 50, he’d brought his strike-rate into the nineties, reaching the milestone off his 57th ball at the crease. That was his fifth half-century in consecutive innings, in his fifth ODI. On debut against New Zealand earlier this year, Breetzke made a memorable century, scoring 150 and breaking the record for the highest score by a player on debut in a men’s ODI. Having made scores of 83, 57 and 88 in his following three innings in February, Breetzke missed the series opener in England but replaced Toni de Zorzi at Lord’s.
Breetzke achieves ODI world first
By passing 50 for the fifth consecutive time, Breetzke is now the sole holder for the most consecutive 50s scored from a player’s first match in ODI cricket. Before the game at Lord’s, Breetzke jointly held the record with India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu, who scored four consecutive fifties from his debut in 1987.
Player Team No. of consecutive 50s from debut Year Matthew Breetzke South Africa 5 2025 Navjot Sidhu India 4 1987 Tom Cooper Netherlands 3 2010 Max O’Dowd Netherlands 3 2019 John Edrich England 2 1971-1974 Ian Chappell Australia 2 1971-72 Ramiz Raja Pakistan 2 1985 Phil Simmons West Indies 2 1987 Mark Dekker Zimbabwe 2 1992 Mohammad Yousuf Pakistan 2 1998 Nasir Jamshed Pakistan 2 2008 Khurram Manzoor Pakistan 2 2008 David Hussey Australia 2 2008 Chris Douglas Bermuda 2 2008 Raza-ur-Rehman Canada 2 2008 Sohaib Maqsood Pakistan 2 2013 Usman Ghani Afghanistan 2 2014 Vani Morea Papua New Guinea 2 2014 Afsar Zazai Afghanistan 2 2014 Michael Jones Scotland 2 2018 Rassie van der Dussen South Africa 2 2019 Curtis Campher Ireland 2 2020 Ali Naseer UAE 2 2023 Sai Sudharsan India 2 2023 Andries Gous USA 2 2024
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.