Matthew Breetzke

His build is powerful and broad across the shoulders, and his batting pairs elegance with real hitting power. Much of his scoring comes square of the wicket on both the off and leg sides, though he is also a dangerous straight hitter.

Franchise cricket has been a big part of his rise. In the 2024 SA20, turning out for Durban Super Giants, he finished third on the run charts with 416 runs, averaging 32 at a strike rate of 135.50. He spent three seasons with Durban before joining Sunrisers Eastern Cape for 2025-26, a campaign that ended with that side taking the title. In England he has appeared for Northants in the T20 Blast, making 460 runs in 2024 and 403 in 2025. Lucknow Super Giants picked him up for INR 75 lakh at the 2025 IPL auction. He played only a single match for them, but the franchise kept him on for the 2026 season.

His arrival in one-day internationals in February 2025 was remarkable. Facing New Zealand on debut, he struck 150, the highest score ever made by a debutant in ODI history. He kept going from there, reaching fifty or more in each of his first five ODIs with scores of 150, 83, 57, 88 and 85. No player had done that before.