South Africa’s Jordan Hermann entered his name in the history books on Wednesday (September 9) by equalling the world record for the highest score on ODI debut. The 24-year-old left-handed batter opened the innings for the Proteas in the first ODI against Namibia at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek and scored 150 runs off 126 balls.
Hermann’s score of 150 in his first-ever ODI helped him equal the world record set by Matthew Breetzke. Breetzke made his ODI debut for South Africa on February 10, 2025, against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and scored 150 runs off 148 balls as an opener.
The two South African top-order batters are the only players in the world to have scored 150 runs in their first-ever ODI.
In the list of batters
with the most runs on ODI debut, Breetzke and Hermann are followed by West Indies great Desmond Haynes. On his ODI debut for the Men in Maroon against Australia in St John’s on February 22, 1978, Haynes played a knock of 148 runs off 136 balls.
Highest score on ODI debut
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | RUNS | BALLS | 4s | 6s | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Breetzke | South Africa | 150 | 148 | 11 | 5 | New Zealand | Lahore | February 10, 2025 |
| Jordan Hermann | South Africa | 150 | 126 | 17 | 3 | Namibia | Windhoek | September 9, 2026 |
| Desmond Haynes | West Indies | 148 | 136 | 16 | 2 | Australia | St John’s | February 22, 1978 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 127 | 127 | 8 | 9 | Ireland | Abu Dhabi | January 21, 2021 |
| Mark Chapman | Hong Kong | 124* | 116 | 11 | 2 | UAE | ICCA Dubai | November 16, 2015 |
| Colin Ingram | South Africa | 124 | 126 | 8 | 2 | Zimbabwe | Bloemfontein | October 15, 2010 |
| Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 122* | 135 | 8 | 2 | West Indies | Auckland | January 10, 2009 |
| Andy Flower | Zimbabwe | 115* | 152 | 8 | 1 | Sri Lanka | New Plymouth | February 23, 1992 |
| Temba Bavuma | South Africa | 113 | 123 | 13 | 1 | Ireland | Benoni | September 25, 2016 |
| Phil Hughes | Australia | 112 | 129 | 14 | 0 | Sri Lanka | Melbourne | January 11, 2013 |
During his stay at the crease in the first ODI against Namibia in Windhoek, Hermann hammered 17 fours and three sixes. He added 190 runs off 166 balls for the second wicket with Tony de Zorzi, who scored 72 runs off 84 balls as a No. 3 batter. Hermann also put on a 59-run stand off 45 balls for the third wicket with Dewald Brevis, who scored 33 runs off 28 balls.
Had Hermann scored one more run and taken his tally to 151, he would have broken the world record.
The left-handed batter was dismissed by Ruben Trumpelmann on the fifth ball of the 42nd over of South Africa’s innings. However, before making his way back to the pavilion, Hermann had set the stage for a big total for the visitors in their first-ever ODI bilateral series against Namibia.
