Dewald Brevis smashes record T20I score (125*) for South Africa – Has ‘Baby AB’ finally come of age?
Since the end of the IPL 2025 for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Dewald Brevis has caught the attention around the world. Coming as a replacement, he smashed 225 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 180, thanks to two half-centuries. But he was yet to unleash his power and batting skill for South Africa.
Before August 12, 2025, the right-handed batter had collected only 140 runs in eight innings for the Proteas. The average was not impressive, as was the strike rate, with no fifty by his name. But the second T20I in Darwin against Australia was a golden opportunity for the 22-year-old to show his talent at the international stage. Moreover, they were under pressure, having lost the opening game.
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Dewald Brevis’ magical & cheerful maiden T20I century
By the time Brevis walked into the middle, the Proteas were off to a decent start. But they had already lost two wickets, including their captain Aiden Makram. It was vital for them to stitch a good partnership to stabilise the ship and create the platform at an early stage.
He creamed Ben Dwarshuis through mid-off for his very first boundary of the evening. On the first ball of the next over, the youngster launched Glenn Maxwell over long-on for a huge six. One of his best shots came when he swung his willow against Sean Abbott for a no-look six. It was followed by a slap through backward point for a boundary.
With the first of the three sixes against Maxwell in the 12th over, he celebrated his maiden T20I fifty. In the next three balls, the Johannesburg-born clubbed the off-spinner for two sixes and one boundary. Australia, suddenly, looked clueless. Mitchell Marsh decided to bring Josh Hazlewood’s pace into the attack. But it hardly mattered to Brevis.
He squeezed the yorker from the New South Wales bowler with an inside edge to the fine leg boundary. Two balls later, he pulled the short ball over the deep mid-wicket region for another six. One of the reasons for Australia’s success in the middle overs of the T20I has been Adam Zampa’s knack for picking wickets. That’s where Brevis countered the most.
He moved away and slashed the wide ball from the Victoria spinner over sweep-cover for another boundary. At the end, it was another boundary to the fine leg that helped the 22-year-old celebrate his maiden T20I century for the Proteas.
The scorecard would tell that Brevis and Tristan Stubbs shared a 126-run stand for the fourth wicket. What it won’t say is that the former faced only 13 balls more than Stubbs. Still, he got 60 more runs than his partner during their collaboration.
He finished with a fine knock of unbeaten 125 runs in 56 deliveries at a strike rate of 223.21, thanks to 12 boundaries and eight sixes. Brevis becomes the first man to score a T20I century against Australia away from home.
His 125* is the Proteas’ highest individual T20I score, surpassing Faf du Plessis’ 119. Meanwhile, it’s also the highest T20I score in Australia, overtaking Shane Watson’s 124* against India in 2016.
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Is Dewald Brevis on track to earn massive success?
Brevis’ breakthrough period was during the last season of the SA20 for the MI Cape Town. He scored 291 runs in 10 innings at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 184.17 with the help of two fifties. Just minutes after Brevis’ century, AB de Villiers praised his knock against the 2021 T20 champions.
“There was such a golden opportunity for IPL teams to pick up Dewald Brevis at the auction! Missed out badly. CSK either got very lucky or maybe the biggest master stroke ever. The boy can play. Mind-boggling that he wasn’t picked up at all! To think that he came in as an injury sub.” The former South Africa captain wrote on his X account (formerly known as Twitter).
These words should mean a lot to someone who is called the baby AB, for some of the shots he has imitated from de Villiers. After the IPL 2025, Brevis travelled to England for a short stint in the T20 Blast 2025. Playing for Hampshire, he smashed 166 runs in six innings at a strike rate of over 180.
There was such a golden opportunity for IPL teams to pick up Dewald Brevis at the auction! Missed out badly. CSK either got very lucky, or maybe the biggest master stroke ever👏 The boy can play @BrevisDewald
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) August 12, 2025
One of the best parts of his knock against Australia was the equal skills and power against spinners and pacers. That’s important to continue success in the shortest format in this modern era. Moreover, his acceleration was incredible. In the first 25 balls, he reached his 50, while the next 50 runs came in just 16 more deliveries.
But for him to be the next big thing for South Africa, the acid test will begin from hereon. Now, he will be under the pressure of expectation. Additionally, he will need to showcase the same talent and skill across the formats. As of now, it’s just a small portion. South Africa will hope to see him unleashed in all three formats in the near future.
Brevis is the real fucken deal.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) August 12, 2025
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