Dewald Brevis: From ‘Baby AB’ to Breakout Star – How 2025 Is Shaping His All-Format Comeback
Key Highlights:
At just 21, Dewald Brevis has seen both soaring hype and humbling setbacks. Often compared to AB de Villiers for his flair, footwork, and follow-through, the South African batter’s journey from “next big thing” to “nearly forgotten” has taken another dramatic turn — this time upward.
In 2025, Brevis is not just surviving — he’s thriving. And it might just be the year he finally lives up to the ‘Baby AB’ billing.
“I’m never satisfied with my performance” – Dewald Brevis
The quote could have come from de Villiers himself. But it belongs to Brevis — in an interview that laid bare the relentless drive behind the flair. Unlike AB, who quickly cemented his place in international cricket, Brevis’ early fame emerged from T20 leagues: IPL, CPL, SA20.
His debut IPL season featured four sixes off an established Indian spinner. Weeks later, he slammed five sixes in an over in the CPL. His breakout at the 2022 U19 World Cup had already set tongues wagging.
The Crash After the Hype
But cricket is a long game. In 2023 and much of 2024, the headlines dried up. His T20I debut ended with just 5 runs in 2 matches. Released by Mumbai Indians, then unsold in the next IPL auction, Brevis hit a professional low.
His returns in South Africa’s T20 Challenge were modest — 39 runs in three innings. The spark seemed to flicker out.
All this came just two years after he smashed 162 off 57 balls in the same tournament — the fastest 150 in T20 history and highest ever T20 score by a South African.
2025: The Year It All Turned Around
SA20 2025
- Team: MI Cape Town
- Strike Rate: 184.17 (highest in the tournament)
- Batting Positions: No.3 to 7
- Highlights: 29-ball 57 in tournament opener
- Achievements: Sixth-highest run-scorer, most sixes, helped MI Cape Town lift the title
“I have been working really hard in the quiet times when no one really knows about it,” Brevis said after the win.
Addressing the Format Doubters
Critics long claimed Brevis was being shoehorned into a T20-only role. 2025 is rewriting that narrative.
CSA One-Day Challenge (50-over)
- Average: 66
- Strike Rate: 156
- Runs: Second-highest overall
- Highlights: One century, three fifties in seven innings
His performances were all the more striking given his middle-order role, often batting at 4–6.
Red-Ball Resurgence
The CSA Four-Day Series has further reinforced Brevis’ all-format credentials. Slated to play in the final for Titans, his red-ball numbers are impressive:
- Average: 54.70
- Strike Rate: 89
- Hundreds: Two
- Fifties: Two
- Notable Innings: 148 vs Dragons – a fearless, attacking knock despite early wickets
He’s showing a rare ability to balance tempo and temperament — booming drives one over, five sixes the next.
Proteas Radar: Still Active
Despite missing out on a central contract, Cricket South Africa has not turned its back on him. Brevis was:
- Called up as Test squad cover for Temba Bavuma
- Overlooked in T20Is in favour of Tristan Stubbs and now Lhuan-dre Pretorius
Yet, with Heinrich Klaasen’s future uncertain, and Brevis’ numbers surging, selectors may have to make room — and soon.
From AB’s Shadow to His Own Light
Comparisons with AB de Villiers can be both flattering and burdensome. Even AB has acknowledged how declaring he wanted to be the best put pressure on him — but also drove him to excellence.
Brevis, who once echoed that same ambition, now seems ready to bear the weight.
“I want to get into all the Proteas squads, to be an all-format player.”
With runs across all formats, from quickfire fifties to patient centuries, 2025 is rapidly becoming the year Dewald Brevis claims his own identity in South African cricket.
The comeback is no longer theoretical. It’s real, and it’s happening — across formats, across continents, and in his own way.
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