Record-breaking Brevis cuts Australia to smithereens

Dewald Brevis’s solution for the problem created by all the expectations of him as a junior, was to be himself more often (and not the guy he’s still compared with) and perhaps more importantly, have fun. 

On Tuesday that policy continued to bear fruit with the 22-year-old registering the highest score by a Proteas batter in a T20 International, with a remarkable unbeaten 125 against Australia in Darwin.

It surpassed Faf du Plessis’s 119, scored against the West Indies 10 years ago.

Brevis’s innings helped South Africa reach 218/7, setting up a 53-run victory in the second game of the three-match series and helping restore confidence for the side after a scratchy start on Sunday.

The bowlers were able to deliver smart changes of pace despite the difficulty holding the ball because of heavy dew at the Marrara Stadium, bowling Australia out for the second consecutive time and snapping a six-match losing run against them dating back to February 2020.

“It was about watching the ball and then just having fun,” Brevis said in a television interview at the halfway stage of the innings.

“It’s what I’ve wanted to do — just play with a smile on my face.”

Brevis also delivered an answer to a crucial question for Shukri Conrad ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup — who can replace Heinrich Klaasen in the middle order? 

Like Klaasen, Brevis is devastating against spinners — six of his eight sixes came off Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa, who is ranked as the fifth best T20 International bowler. 

The other standout feature of his innings was how well he struck the ball down the ground, mesmerising the crowd with several devastating — and what have become for Brevis — characteristic head down “golf swings” over long-on. 

Even when Zampa tried a wide delivery outside off stump in the 17th over, Brevis, with a flick of his wrists still deposited the ball between the long-off and long-on fielders. 

It wasn’t always pretty. Brevis had some good fortune early in his innings, mistiming several shots, and even against Josh Hazlewood later on, a few top edges flew over the keeper’s head.

But that luck was the result of the intent with which he played, something that was absent from South Africa’s batting in the first match. 

Put into bat by Australian captain Mitchell Marsh, the Proteas were aggressive from the start, with Aiden Markram stroking the first delivery through the covers, and while it was Kagiso Rabada who hit the first six in the 17th over on Sunday, Ryan Rickelton nailed the first of 11 sixes in the third over on Tuesday. 

Brevis still had to be relatively patient when he arrived at the crease after Markram had slapped Maxwell to mid-off for 18. That was one of three soft dismissals for the Proteas top order, and meant Brevis and Tristan Stubbs had to start their partnership carefully. 

But with Brevis growing in confidence, and Stubbs willing to give him the strike, South Africa gained a firm foothold.

Brevis was dropped on 56 by substitute field Matthew Kuhnemann, and took advantage of that opportunity to produce at international level what he’d shown in the last domestic season for his province (Northerns) across all formats and in the SA20 for MI Cape Town.

He and Stubbs added 126 runs off 57 balls for the fourth wicket with South Africa surging in the second half of their innings, scoring 130 runs in the last 10 overs.

“Stubbs played his role so well,” said Brevis of his batting partner who made 31 off 22 balls. “Next time he’ll moer (whack) every ball as well.”

Brevis became the eighth South African batter to score a T20 International 100, with his 56-ball innings that included 12 fours and eight sixes, the 10th T20 International century by a Proteas batter. 

Australia’s response was typically aggressive, and they were comfortably ahead of South Africa's run rate comparatively, thanks to another Tim David assault.

The lanky right-hander smashed four fours and four sixes in a 24-ball 50, but as in the first game, there wasn’t much else from the rest of the batting order. 

Corbin Bosch had an excellent evening, taking 3/20 and, though expensive, Kwena Maphaka added to his four wickets in the first match, with three more on Wednesday conceding 57 runs, but counting Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green among his dismissals. 

The Proteas' ground fielding and catching was also much improved from the first match, with Nqaba Peter and Brevis holding onto some excellent catches. 

The deciding match in the series will be played in Cairns on Saturday.