Exclusive: Matthew Breetzke will lean on Quinton de Kock's experience in upcoming ODI series

Proteas captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan, Matthew Breetzke, says he will lean on experienced Quinton de Kock as he takes over the leadership role in place of Temba Bavuma, who is currently in India.

Captaincy debut

Matthew Breetzke has enjoyed a successful run in One Day International cricket since making his debut in Lahore during a Tr-Nations series against hosts Pakistan and New Zealand.

Breetzke scored 150 in that match, the highest individual score by a player on debut in ODI cricket history. The right-hander went on to score four more 50-plus scores after that, setting a new record for the most consecutive 50-plus scores in the format.

For his form, and while permanent ODI captain Temba Bavuma is being eased into action following an injury, Breetzke has been rewarded with the responsibility.

The 27-year-old is the captain of his domestic team, the Warriors, here at home, meaning that he will be familiar with the task at hand despite international cricket being at a much higher level than domestic cricket.

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za, Breetzke emphasised that he will lean on the experience of senior players such as Quinton de Kock to show him the ropes and advise him throughout the series.

“It's a great honour and privilege to captain my country. It’s something I never would have dreamed of. But in saying that, I've got a job to do,” Breetzke told SportsBoom.co.za.

“I’m looking forward to taking it head-on. I'm not necessarily going to approach it in any sort of way. I'm pretty much open-minded to what's going to go on.”

“Basically, I will just try to get the best out of the guys and what the conditions offer. I will try to get the best out of them in that way.”

“There are a few senior players around, like Quinton (de Kock) and Corbin Bosch, who have played quite a lot of cricket. So we're relying on them quite a bit for advice and stuff like that. But I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, we can put in some good performances.”

T20I Series Review

South Africa is yet to win a series in the ongoing tour of Pakistan, having done well in the drawn two-match Test series last month but lost the T20I series 1-2 last week.

The ODI series will be their last opportunity to return home from Pakistan with a series victory.

Breetzke reflected on the recently concluded T20I series, one in which the right-handed batter could not get past single digits in three innings.

In his defence, the 27-year-old was batting for the first time at number five in T20 cricket, a feat that made it difficult for him to score runs in the series. 

“Personally, for myself, obviously batting at five, I've never batted five in T20s. So, it was a learning experience for me, and I'm pretty disappointed that I didn't get the results I wanted. But it is what it is. I'll keep coming back and keep trying to get better,” Breetzke said.

“From a team perspective, it was a decent T20 series. I think, to be honest, Pakistan probably played the conditions better than us, and we didn't adapt to the conditions well enough.

“In saying that, losing the toss was not the best thing that could have happened to us. It definitely got easier to bat later on in the night. But yes, there were a lot of learnings for the team.”