Temba Bavuma Praises Debutant In South Africa's Disappointing ODI Loss To New Zealand

Temba Bavuma has reflected on Matthew Breetzke's ODI debut, praising the batter on his record-breaking ton, as South Africa lost a high-scoring fixture against New Zealand. Read below.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma has praised compatriot Matthew Breetzke on his record-breaking debut, as the latter became the first-ever cricketer in the entire history of ODI Cricket to smash 150 on debut.

"(On Matthew Breetzke) Yeah amazing. Look I mean, he was one of the guys who has been waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity. He is one of the few young guys who plays in all the three formats. I am sure you will see a lot of such performances from Breetzke in the near future. Hopefully he can go stronger and stronger in his career," said Temba Bavuma.

However, his historic debut ended on a sour note, as New Zealand thumped South Africa by 6 wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with veteran Kane Williamson scoring a memorable ton.

READ HERE: NZ Vs SA: Kane Williamson's Ton Powers Kiwis To First-Ever 300+ ODI Chase Vs Proteas

During the post-match presentation ceremony, the South Africa skipper stated that his side 'did not score enough runs' in the death overs, and that, the new ball did trouble them in the start.

"Yeah I mean there was some positives at the end. Like you mentioned, a guy like Matthew, scoring 150 on Debut and also the other guys chipped in as well. Probably at the end it was not good enough as we did not score enough runs on the board. We will try to focus a little bit more on the positives," said the Proteas skipper.

South Africa will now face Pakistan in their next match, as the side prepares for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting this month.

"Yeah it was a bit tricky against the new ball. They made the ball nip around early on and it was challenging for me and Matthew. Once that went way, it was easier to bat on to be honest. Would have liked a bit of more runs but yeah, we will focus on the positives," said Bavuma.

"(Facing Pakistan on a virtual knockout) Yeah true. Obviously we have to be a lot better in our next game. It is not going to get any easier as we have to be at our best in all the departments. We are going to face a team who will be more clinical in these conditions. So really as a team, we have to up our game," he added.