Matthew Breetzke Gaining Confidence Batting at Number Four for South Africa

Breetzke's Growing Experience in the Batting Order

South African cricketer Matthew Breetzke has expressed that he is becoming more comfortable batting at the number four position. He made this statement ahead of the third ODI match against India in a three-match series. Due to the presence of senior players like Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, and captain Temba Bavuma in the top three, Breetzke has been pushed down to bat at four.

In the second ODI against India, Breetzke played a crucial role by scoring a remarkable half-century while chasing a historic target of 359 runs set by South Africa. His performance, alongside Markram's century, helped the Proteas level the series at 1-1. According to ESPN Cricinfo, Breetzke mentioned, "Clearly, I am gaining more experience batting at number four, and I am starting to feel a bit more at ease in this role. This is beneficial, and I believe that the more I play in this position, the better I will become."

Breetzke has accumulated 449 runs at an impressive average of 56.12 in nine innings while batting at four, including five half-centuries and a strike rate of nearly 95. He also discussed his approach to stabilizing the innings during the first ODI in Ranchi, which India won by 17 runs. Breetzke stated, "In the first match, we were clearly in a bit of trouble, so I had to stabilize the innings, and then in the second match, I just had to manage the incoming batsmen."

He further added, "We obviously lost Aiden after his century, and then I had to manage [Dewald] Brevis and allow the other batsmen to play around me. They have tremendous strength - it was all about trying to build a partnership with them."