Breetzke reveals brutal Proteas verdict from selector talks

With the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup close, Proteas batter Matthew Breetzke has highlighted his determination to fight for a permanent spot across all three formats after being told by convenor and selector Patrick Moroney that his future in the national squads is not set in stone yet.

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za, Breetzke revealed that he has had a recent conversation with the Cricket South Africa selection convenor.

Breetzke said Moroney made it clear that his future is not cemented in the Proteas setup in any of the formats.

One could perhaps understand Moroney’s sentiments in the sense of the T20I and Test squads.

However, in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Breetzke has been a revelation, dominating teams all around the world, including Australia Down Under last year, England in England, and India in India.

The right-hander currently averages 64 in ODIs, with six 50s and one century in only 12 innings, and holds a series of records, including that of the highest ODI score on debut.

Breetzke remains determined to become an all-format player and the 27-year-old has vowed to do all it takes.

“I had a brief talk with Patrick Maroney on my future with the Proteas and it was basically that for the foreseeable future, they don’t see me in the T20 and Test side because there are batters ahead of me,” Breetzke told SportsBoom.co.za.

“With regard to the One Day side, he basically said my spot is not secured. That’s pretty much it, and I’ll be working hard to put weight of runs and hopefully secure a spot in the near future. That’s definitely the goal.”

Breetzke made his maiden international appearance in T20I cricket before going on to make his debut in one Test match in Bangladesh and his ODI debut just before the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

He has since been in and out of the Test and T20I sides but has been a consistent player in ODI cricket, even captaining South Africa in a series against Pakistan last year.

The 27-year-old remains unshaken in his pursuit to be a permanent all-format player for the Proteas.

He believes he needs to tweak his game in T20I cricket and widen his range of shots, while he asks for consistency in his role in Test cricket.

“I want to play all formats for South Africa. I think in terms of T20 cricket, I think there are maybe one or two shots I can get into my game to elevate my skill,” Breetzke said.

“In saying that, I played for quite a few teams over the last two years, about five or six teams, and each team has given me a different role. Like the Sunrisers, I was batting at three, I was in the role of being the rock and getting control of that middle order.

“And then when I played county cricket, I batted at the top, and it was just to go out there and bash it, and I’ve done really well at that. At the Warriors, it’s a bit more of a responsible role. So, I would need role clarity on where they would see me and then take it from there.

“But in terms of Test cricket, obviously, it’s about the weight of runs and getting a good run and knowing where they see me. I’ve obviously batted at six in my debut game and then opened the batting the next game, and then I was out.

“So, I think the weight of runs will help a lot. I should probably have that conversation with [coach] Shukri [Conrad] sometime soon, but I’ve got a massive burning desire to play all three formats for South Africa.”

The last time Breetzke played World Cup cricket was during his SA U19 days, but his desire to be in a team that wins the World Cup for South Africa remains unshaken.

At the moment, having done well in ODI cricket over the past 12-13 months, Breetzke could well make that dream a reality as South Africa is set to co-host the 2027 World Cup.

“I’ve done really nicely in ODI cricket, and I know my role pretty well within the team. I wouldn’t say I’m desperate to make the squad, but I’m desperate to win the World Cup,” Breetzke said.

“That’s all that’s on my mind for the last, ever since I can remember, really. Every training session I go to, it’s about trying to play big matches well, and I think I’ve got a record of performing under pressure and when must-win games come alive.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work on that, especially with [Warriors coach] Robbie Peterson. We chat about it a lot, about how to play big matches and things like that. That’s been a lot of my work, and hopefully I can do that when it comes to the Home World Cup in 2027.” — SportsBoom