Warriors skipper Matthew Breetzke believes the trials and tribulations of the past five years have prepared him for his next challenge.
Breetzke was the only new face in the 16-man squad selected to face the West Indies in a two-match Test Series in Trinidad and Guyana starting on August 7.
The enigmatic right-hander has been hard at work honing his skills, particularly in the game’s longest format and coupled with having led the South Africa A side when India visited the country in December 2023, the former Grey High star believes he is ready for the next step in his career.
Breetzke has grown tremendously as a red ball cricketer in the last two seasons, registering 727 runs in the 2022/23 season to end as the top run scorer in the competition before following that up with 322 runs in the 2023/24 season.
Now Breetzke, who has already had a taste of international action with the national T20 side, is looking to take all the lessons he has learnt and put that into helping the Proteas’ red ball side should he be selected to face the Windies.
“Representing your country in the Test arena is a dream of every young cricketer, I am grateful to have been named in the squad to tour the WI, but I am yet to make my debut, so I am not getting ahead of myself,” he said.
“Having had a taste of being in the national team environment, albeit with the T20 side, is great. It is an environment you always want to be in and grow as a player, because you can learn so much from the players and coaches around you,” Breetzke said.
Breetzke, who was a member of the South African touring squad that took on the WI in a T20I series before the T20 World Cup in June, said he had a good idea of what to expect in terms of conditions.
“Being in the WI with the white ball side helped me get to grips with conditions.
“We also have a week before the first game which will help us get used to conditions again, but I am pretty familiar with conditions, so I am looking forward to testing myself in those conditions and hopefully putting in a few good performances if I get the opportunity,” he said.
Having captained the South Africa A side in a match against India A in December, Breetzke said his domestic cricket journey over the last five years was full of ups and downs.
“I sort of know now how to find a performance, particularly in red-ball cricket, which is the toughest format in the game, so I am hoping that will stand me in good stead and I think I am more than ready to not only step up to that challenge but also perform at my best,” he said.
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