Proteas batsman Dewald Brevis is ready to fulfil his potential having blocked out the well-meaning but competing voices in his head.
Brevis was hailed as South Africa’s next big thing when he was named Player of the Tournament at the 2022 U19 World Cup, scoring a record number of runs in a single edition of the competition (506).
Later that year, he smashed 162 off just 57 balls for the Northerns Titans against the North West Dragons in Potchefstroom – the highest T20 score in South Africa and a T20 world record for the fastest 150 (off 52 balls).
Brevis made his Proteas debut in two T20Is against Australia in 2023 and earned a ticket to the IPL, but his meteoric rise stalled over the following seasons.
Last summer, though, a more relaxed and confident Brevis emerged, producing match-winning innings for the Titans, MI Cape Town and the Chennai Super Kings, who signed him as a late replacement.
Brevis’ form earned him a Test debut in Zimbabwe in June, where he scored 51, three and 30, and claimed his maiden wicket, in the two-match series. He then scored 133 runs in five T20I Tri-Series matches (against Zimbabwe and New Zealand) at a strike rate of 187.32.
Brevis says the turning point came when he simplified his approach.
“The biggest change over the last year has been that I now know who I trust with my game,” the 22-year-old told SportsBoom.co.za. “I’ve gone back to being the original Dewald Brevis. I was blessed with a talent and my natural self is who I want to be. That went away a bit because I listened to too many different people. My only focus now is playing with a smile.”
Brevis admits it was emotional to return to the Proteas environment.
“When you first play for the Proteas, that environment is amazing. But when you’re out of it, it feels like you’ve been removed from the inner circle, and it’s tough. So, I was very grateful to play in Zimbabwe and be part of it again.”
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Now, Brevis is in Australia for the first time and eager to face South Africa’s fiercest rivals in ODI and T20I series.
“The Proteas are close to my heart, and I’ll never take it for granted. I grew up watching great games against Australia. One of my best memories is AB de Villiers scoring runs at Centurion in 2014 against Mitchell Johnson, who was terrifying everyone else. That stuck with me.”
Brevis, who attended Affies – just like De Villiers – has long been nicknamed “Baby AB”. He insists it has only ever been a privilege.
“AB is my role model and one of the people I fully trust. Being compared to him has never been a burden. It’s an honour. He’s still my hero and I’m lucky to learn from him, but I also know I have my own identity.”
Photo: Zimbabwe Cricket
