Africa-Press – South-Africa. Exciting young South African batter Dewald Brevis has silenced internal doubts and returned to form, shining in domestic and international cricket.
Inspired by AB de Villiers — which, along with his batting style, has resulted in the nickname “Baby AB” — he is now set to face Australia in the Proteas’ series down under, eager to make his mark on the rivalry he grew up watching.
South Africa play their first T20I of the series at Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin on Sunday (11.15am SA time).
Brevis was considered the next big thing in South African cricket when he was named Player of the Tournament in the 2022 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, scoring the most runs in a single edition of the junior competition.
Later that year he massacred 162 off just 57 balls for the Titans in a T20 match against North West Dragons in Potchefstroom, the highest T20 score in South Africa and the world record for the fastest 150.
He played in two T20 internationals against Australia in 2023 and a ticket to the biggest stage of them all, the IPL, was inevitable, but his meteoric rise lost momentum for the next few years.
Last summer saw a new Brevis, seemingly relaxed and comfortable in his own skin, enjoying a number of stunning innings for the Titans, MI Cape Town and the Chennai Super Kings, who signed him as a late replacement.
The flow of runs ensured his return to the Proteas and he made his Test debut in Zimbabwe in June, lashing a 41-ball half-century, then playing in the T20 tri-series with New Zealand.
On the eve of his departure with the Proteas to Australia for six white-ball internationals, the 22-year-old said his slump occurred when he started to listen to too many advisers.
“The biggest change over the past year has been that I now know who I trust with my game and I’ve gone back to being the original Dewald Brevis,” he said.
“I was blessed with a talent and my natural self is who I want to be. That went away a bit because I tried to be too clever and I listened to so many different people. My only focus now is playing with a smile.
“It’s very special to be back in the Proteas squad. When you first play, that environment is so amazing, but then when you go out of it, it feels like you’ve been removed from the inner circle and it’s very tough.
“So I was very grateful just to play in Zimbabwe and be part of it again — there was a lot of emotion.”
Now Brevis is in Australia for the first time and delighted to be taking on South Africa’s arch-rivals and a team that loomed large in his days of watching cricket as a child.
“It’s incredible. The Proteas are very close to my heart and I will never take it for granted playing for them. And a big part of when I was growing up was watching some famous games against Australia.
“They never back down and one of my best memories is of watching AB de Villiers at Centurion in 2014, with Mitchell Johnson hitting everyone but AB still scoring runs all over the place.”
It is little wonder that the then 10-year-old Brevis was inspired because De Villiers top-scored for South Africa in both innings with 91 and 48, Johnson taking 12 wickets on a fast, bouncy pitch that was also up-and-down, to bowl Australia to a crushing 281-run win.
Brevis confirmed De Villiers is still very much part of his inner circle. Born in Sandton, Johannesburg, but educated at Afrikaanse Hoer Seunskool (Affies) in Pretoria, just like De Villiers, Brevis modelled his batting on the Proteas great.
He did this so successfully that the likeness in his young days led to him being called “Baby AB”. Brevis says the label was never a burden, but an honour.
“AB is my role-model and he is one of the people I fully trust. I spend a lot of time with him and being compared to him has never been a burden or brought any extra pressure.
“It has always been a big privilege to be called Baby AB. He is still my hero and to have him help me is a big honour.
“I still have my own identity and I know that will work out too.”
De Villiers averaged 75.33 in ODIs in Australia and 44.73 in Tests and was hugely respected as a match-winner of class there. Brevis now has the chance to imprint himself in the minds of the great foe too.
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