Photo Credit: SA20
Matthew Breetzke remembers vividly when he walked into the Proteas’ dressing room for the first time as a 19-year-old.
Fresh out of his Grey High School blazer and short pants, Breetzke was overawed by being alongside his childhood heroes.
But five years later Breetzke is now the senior player in the South Africa ‘A’ side guiding a new crop of youngsters ready to make their own mark on South African cricket.
Playing for Durban’s Super Giants in last season’s inaugural Betway SA20, Breetzke went head-to-head with the likes of Dewald Brevis (MI Cape Town), Gerald Coetzee (Joburg Super Kings) and Tristan Stubbs (Sunrisers Eastern Cape).
Breetzke believes the exposure the Betway SA20 provided young South African talent has already been evident on the on-going SA ‘A’ tour to Sri Lanka where all the youngsters have been among the leading performers.
“It’s really exciting for me to play with all these young guys. It’s exciting for South African cricket, where we have all these youngsters that could all kick on and potentially play for South Africa,” Breetzke said.
“All these guys are characters, and they all have a bit of something, a bit of X-factor, and the SA20 of course aided that and gave the guys the confidence to perform.”
Breetzke, though, has his own goals and ambitions for Betway SA20 Season 2 after only showing glimpses of his prodigious talent for Durban’s Super Giants. He was particularly good in the home victory over MI Cape Town where he guided DSG to a crucial victory at Kingsmead.
But having gained further experience in Sri Lanka against top-quality spin bowlers, Breetzke feels he is better equipped and is eagerly waiting in anticipation for the next Betway SA20 tournament.
“I can’t wait to be honest. It is easily the best tournament I’ve been involved in. I can’t wait to play in it again,” he said.
“These learning experiences here in Sri Lanka have also helped me a great deal to handle the pressure in the SA20.”
