Baby AB? No, the ‘Original Dewald’: Brevis makes his Howzat statement

DARWIN: South Africa may have just witnessed the next chapter in its cricketing evolution, as 21-year-old Dewald Brevis lit up the second T20I against Australia with a blistering, unbeaten 125 – the highest T20I score by a South African. But this wasn’t just a record-breaking innings; it was a coming-of-age story for a player once shadowed by expectation and now stepping fully into his own spotlight.

Soon after Brevis started making headlines for his powerful batting style, the netizens and the cricket gurus started comparing him to another legend, AB de Villiers, awarding him the tag “Baby AB”. The roots of the moniker could be traced back to the 2022 U19 World Cup. Brevis now carries that nickname as a badge of honour rather than a burden but he has something more to say.

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“Just being compared, I saw it as a huge privilege,” he said in a recent appearance on De Villiers’ YouTube channel. “It was never pressure for me. I’ve always idolised AB, and I still learn so much from him.”

It was during that U19 World Cup where Brevis exploded onto the scene, topping the tournament charts with 506 runs in just six matches. That early promise was followed by a massive three crore Indian Rupee IPL deal with Mumbai Indians, and later, a stint with Chennai Super Kings in the 2025 season, where he was one of the few bright spots in a forgettable campaign, hammering 225 runs at a strike rate of 180.

But it’s with the national team now that Brevis is truly turning heads. His unbeaten 125 in Darwin not only sealed a series-levelling win against Australia but also made him the youngest T20I centurion for South Africa. It was the kind of innings that looked effortless. It was clean, straight, and brutal. Six of his eight sixes came in the “V”, showcasing textbook technique with modern-day power.

Captain Aiden Markram described it as a “freakish display” and a glimpse of something even Brevis himself struggles to articulate. “That’s just how I play,” he said post-match. “I’ve hit thousands of balls. I don’t think about it much. I just go out there, enjoy myself, and watch the ball.”

That carefree mindset was born from a personal decision Brevis made late last year. “On December 28, I made a commitment to be the original Dewald. I believe God gave me this talent, and I just wanted to stay true to myself,” he said.

That shift in mindset has paid off handsomely. In 2025 alone, Brevis has amassed 995 T20 runs across 30 innings, averaging 43.26 with a strike rate of 186.32, including six fifties and that headline-grabbing century. In the recent series against Australia, he topped the scoring charts with 180 runs in three matches at an astonishing average of 90 and a strike rate of 204.

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Looking ahead, Brevis isn’t getting carried away. “This is just the start,” he said. “I can enjoy this hundred now, maybe watch it again, but when the next match comes, it’s a new challenge.”

From Baby AB to Big-Game Brevis, South Africa may have just found its next global cricketing superstar, one who’s not afraid of legacies, expectations, or fast bowlers. Now on September 7 (Sunday), we can see the ‘Original Dewald’ in action once again, against England.