Gqeberha — Former SA U19 star Matthew Breetzke joined the queue of talented South African youngsters on show in the Betway SA20 when he showed glimpses of what he can offer on the big stage with a match-winning knock for Durban’s Super Giants.
Alongside Raynard van Tonder, Wandile Makwethu and Thando Ntini, Breetzke was one of the talents earmarked for great things to come in the future from the SA U-19 class of 2018.
He marked his debut franchise season in South Africa’s domestic cricket with an unbeaten match-winning century at St. George’s Park in the Momentum One-Day Cup. His century was against a Cape Cobras bowling attack that included Proteas legend Vernon Philander.
Soon after that, he was awarded a franchise contract with the Gqeberha-based Warriors where he showcased his skill in the white-ball formats in particular. The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants roped him in in the Mzansi Super League, clearly seeing the potential he had whilst opening the batting in T20 cricket.
On Thursday night at Kingsmead, Breetzke was finally given an opportunity in an unfamiliar No 3 position in the Super Giants’ batting order when they took on MI Cape Town in a high-pressure game.
He produced a calculated and mature innings alongside his skipper, Quinton de Kock (69), and steadied the ship while wickets kept tumbling at the other end. He took the game deep and hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball of the match ‒ a six over mid-wicket off MI Cape own seamer Duan Jansen.
“It was a good performance. We always speak about those knocks where you get a 49 off 40 balls, we needed someone to do that and, in this game, that was my job. I’m happy to have gotten the team over the line,” said Breetzke.
The Super Giants have had a rather disappointing SA20 campaign in the first leg with their match-day selections and on-field decision making, in particular, leaving a lot to be desired.
The 24-year-old proved to be a breath of fresh air in the Super Giants squad. His inclusion in the playing XI on Thursday saw him end a four-match losing streak for the Durban team.
Breetzke has had a decent two seasons in domestic cricket, which has seen him mature and score centuries in 4-Day cricket as well.
The form he is currently displaying is proof that he is finally coming of age.
IOL Sport