Dewald Brevis displayed a stellar performance at Cazalys Stadium, leading South Africa to a commanding win against Australia in the second match of their T20 series. Brevis, who is just 22 years old, struck an impressive unbeaten 125 runs off 56 balls, which played a pivotal role in leveling the series at 1-1.
The game played out in spectacular fashion with Brevis mesmerizing everyone with his astro-turf level batting display. Despite a slow start, little by little he began to find his rhythm, dragging Ben Dwarshuis onto the Gabbatoir roof within the first 10 overs of his innings. Our opening bowler Jason Hardie bowled the 10th over and South Africa was 3-96. In that split second, Brevis switched into sixth gear, hammering an unbelievable 27 runs off the over! He dispatched Hardie’s third ball missile-like straight down the ground and on the next one delivered a savage cut shot over cover.
Brevis unleashed himself on the Australian bowling unit at Willows, depositing four back-to-back maximums off four consecutive legitimate deliveries. With the crowd going wild, he hit 53 runs on only 26 balls. His exceptional day was done when Glenn Maxwell took a remarkable diving catch in the deep to dismiss him.
After Brevis’s dismissal, South Africa lost all of their momentum. They failed to score any more than 62 runs in the final 8.2 overs of their innings. Brevis’s innings was the stuff of legends. It certainly gave them a strong platform and improved the players’ morale at a critical point in the match during a challenging period.
Looking back on his innings, Brevis admitted that he was under a lot of pressure following the early wickets that fell. “We were down to two wickets and I knew I had to do the majority of the striking,” he said. But his ability to take the pressure off and score at will under grim conditions made all the difference.
Maxwell, who was the difference for Australia in the match, commended his side’s performance in defeat. “We’ve had a great run with this T20 group, so to have another series win against a quality opposition in South Africa is great for our confidence heading forward,” he remarked. He has a good feeling about his team’s preparation for the T20 World Cup in UAE. He is convinced that through that fellowship they are creating something truly powerful within the caucus.
The match concluded with South Africa successfully chasing down their target and leveling the series, demonstrating resilience and skill against a formidable Australian side. With both teams bursting with talent, this series will delight in electric matchups to come.
