A deflected single did it. With South Africa on 8/297 in the 47th over at Kingsmead, a missed run-out throw from Josh Inglis struck Matthew Breetzke in the back, and Marco Jansen called him through for a run. Nathan Ellis was visibly annoyed, and the next ball brought a Jansen four, more heated words and boos around the ground. The run was perfectly legal, yet it cut against one of the game’s oldest courtesies. Breetzke has since said he would do exactly the same at a World Cup.
Ball by Ball in the 47th Over
The whole sequence took seconds. Breetzke played and missed at a delivery from Ellis, and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis had a shy at the stumps as the batter turned and touched back in his crease. The throw missed and hit Breetzke in the back. As the ball rebounded away, Jansen called for the run, and Breetzke went, collecting a single off a ball he never touched with the bat.
Ellis did not hide his irritation. Glares and words passed between the bowler and both batters, and the tension spilled over when Jansen hit the very next delivery for four. Kingsmead let the Australians know what it thought. Boos rang around the ground as the exchange escalated, and a routine late-innings over turned into the talking point of the night.
Matthew Breetzke ODI single controversy
Breetzke made no apology after the match. He said he was simply caught up in the moment and would probably run again if the same thing happened at a World Cup. It was a blunt answer, and a consistent one.
He also accepted the other side’s view. By his own account, he would have given the batter a hard time too if the roles were reversed, and he framed the whole episode as part of the game. That stance will split opinion. Some will call it ruthless, others will call it smart cricket in a tight finish, but nobody can accuse him of dodging the question.
Law 18 Sits With the Batter
The rulebook backs him completely. Under Law 18, a run counts whenever the batters cross and make good their ground while the ball is in play, and nothing in the Laws of Cricket disallows a run after a throw deflects off a batter. The on-field umpires had nothing at all to rule on. The run stood and went into the scorebook like any other single.
The objection is about convention, not legality. Most sides stop running when a throw strikes the batter, and that unwritten courtesy is what Australia felt was ignored. With South Africa pushing for a big total late in the innings, Breetzke chose the scoreboard over the courtesy.
Pollock and the Australian Camp React
Shaun Pollock called it straight from the commentary box. The former South African captain said on air that he was not sure the batters should have run once the ball hit Breetzke, and he noted things were kicking off after Jansen’s boundary. His view stung more because it came from a South African voice rather than an Australian one.
Ellis gave no public comment, and Mitch Marsh kept his post-match focus on his batters. He admitted South Africa had outplayed his team and pointed to the lack of partnerships in the chase. He did not address the single directly in his remarks. That restraint says plenty. Australia had just lost after a batting collapse, and complaining about one run would have sounded like an excuse.
The Hundred Behind the Row
The flashpoint almost buried the bigger story. Breetzke made 112 off 106 balls, his second ODI century, and it lifted his career average to 63.23. That is the third-highest ODI average of all time among batters with at least 10 innings. His 822 runs are also the most by anyone through their first 14 ODI innings.
Those numbers put him in rare company early in his career, and a batter scoring at that rate deserves to be judged on runs, not etiquette. Australia now face a second problem at the Wanderers: getting him out before any arguments start. Still, the Matthew Breetzke ODI single controversy will follow him to Johannesburg, where Australia’s fielders are unlikely to forget the 47th over.
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