In a rare and unexpected moment, South Africa’s fielding coach, Wandile Gwavu, was seen fielding for the national team during their Tri-Nation ODI series match against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday (February 10).
The unusual sight occurred when South Africa, having exhausted their available substitutes, needed an extra fielder during New Zealand’s chase. At the start of the game, South Africa had only named two substitutes, leaving them short when the need arose. As a result, Gwavu, who was recently appointed as South Africa’s full-time white-ball fielding coach, had to step onto the field during the Proteas’ six-wicket loss to the Black Caps. Viral images captured the moment as he performed fielding duties while New Zealand chased a stiff target of 305 runs at the revamped Gaddafi Stadium. Despite South Africa’s loss, the match witnessed an extraordinary performance from debutant Matthew Breetzke. The young batter smashed a record-breaking 150 runs off 148 balls, featuring 11 boundaries and five sixes, helping South Africa post a competitive total of 304 runs. Breetzke’s remarkable innings saw him involved in three key partnerships: – 37 runs with captain Temba Bavuma – 93 runs with Jason Smith – 131 runs with Wiaan Mulder With this innings, Breetzke became the first player in ODI history to score 150 on debut and only the fourth South African batter to register a century in his first ODI, joining Colin Ingram, Temba Bavuma, and Reeza Hendricks. Apart from Breetzke, Wiaan Mulder contributed 64 off 60 balls, while Jason Smith added a quickfire 41 off 21 balls to help South Africa reach a formidable total. New Zealand’s bowlers Will O’Rourke and Matt Henry managed to take two wickets each. New Zealand, however, had a response of their own, led by their ever-reliable captain Kane Williamson. The experienced batter crafted a stunning, unbeaten 133 off 113 balls, including 13 boundaries and two sixes, guiding the Black Caps to a thrilling six-wicket victory. Williamson’s innings was complemented by an impressive knock from Devon Conway, who scored 97. The duo stitched together a match-winning 187-run partnership, steering New Zealand to their highest successful ODI chase against South Africa. They reached the target with eight balls to spare, securing their spot in the Tri-Nation ODI series final after back-to-back wins, having also defeated Pakistan in their opening game. Williamson was named Player of the Matchfor his brilliant century, further cementing his reputation as one of New Zealand’s finest chasers. South Africa’s skipper Temba Bavuma acknowledged the team’s shortcomings but also highlighted some positives from the match. Speaking at the post-match presentation, he said: “There were some positives. The debutants did well, and from a bowling point of view, everyone chipped in, but we weren’t good enough. We will like to focus on those positives, though. It was a bit tricky with the new ball; they got the ball to nip around. It did get easier later on; we would have liked to get some more runs. We have to be a lot better from today; with our batting and bowling, we need to be clinical. It is a quick turnaround, but individually we will have to get better.” Bavuma also praised debutant Matthew Breetzke for his outstanding knock, saying, “He was amazing; he was waiting in the wings. He is one of the few guys who plays all three formats. Glad to see him repay the trust the selectors are showing in him. Hope he can only get stronger.” With the Tri-Nation series final looming, South Africa will need to regroup quickly and find solutions to their issues if they hope to bounce back from this defeat.