‘I had my smile on because I feel that is important and that’s how I want to play cricket – smile and enjoy it.’
Dewald Brevis described his return to international cricket as an emotional experience, made even more special by the fact that it comes in the “pinnacle format” of the game. He is set to bat at number six for the Proteas in their opening Test against Zimbabwe on Saturday.
The 22-year-old batting all-rounder burst onto the scene in 2022 when he broke the record for the most runs scored at an U19 Cricket World Cup, and was named player of the tournament.
In the same year, he smashed an incredible 162 off 57 balls for the Titans against the Knights, which was the fastest T20 150 in history after he reached the mark off just 52 balls.
With a flamboyant and aggressive batting style, he was nicknamed “Baby AB” after the Proteas legend AB de Villiers. However, he failed to shine in the IPL and in the senior team in the following years and was dropped from the Proteas after only two T20s, the last played in September 2023.
Brevis makes an emphatic return
The youngster has since made a return in domestic cricket, finishing sixth in this year’s SA20 batting rankings, scoring 291 runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 184. He was also exceptional in the field, overall helping MI Cape Town clinch a first SA20 title and being named the competition’s rising star in the process.
In the longer format, he was the second-leading run-scorer in the 4-day series, with 573 runs in 12 innings, including two hundreds and two fifties, averaging 47.75.
“[Proteas captain Keshav Maharaj] knows my journey over the last few years. The words he had when he gave my cap, there was a bit of emotion going on inside me,” Brevis admitted.
“But I had my smile on because I feel that is important and that’s how I want to play cricket – smile and enjoy it.
“He just mentioned [that] he knew my last few years, especially when I got my debut in T20 cricket, that moment being there and then left out for a few years. That was quite tough, but I was young as well.
“I am quite grateful for how I handled that and the people I had around me. Because it made me much more hungry for the game and to perform.” He said he had worked on what he needed to, to now reach an international level.
Brevis said he had spent much time looking at his Test cap, appreciating what it meant.
“For me it’s the pinnacle format. You can play all the leagues, you can play T20, 50-over cricket, but there is something about Test cricket. And to be able to do that for South Africa, to represent South Africa out there, it’s special.”