OBAKENG MELETSE
Young sensation Dewald Brevis quickly rose to fame after a breathtaking ICC Under-19 World Cup where he scored an impressive 506 runs in six matches in the 2022 edition and the highest by any South African at that level.
The 21-year-old, whose biggest goal is to make his country proud by winning the World Cup with the Proteas, is one of the brightest young talents around the world. He has been a huge part of the Mumbai Indians development plans since 2022, and he has also recently been part of South Africa’s Test team plans.
After the U19 World Cup, Brevis has made a name for himself in the T20 format in the different leagues around the world. His aggression and fearless approach to the game has made him a destructive force in whit- ball cricket.
His inclusion in the Proteas Test camp, held last month in preparation for the coming season, came as a breath of fresh air, and a glimpse of what the future might hold during Shukri Conrad’s tenure.
Conrad has named a 16-player squad to take on the West Indies in a two-match Test series next month, and though Brevis missed out on selection, the lesson drawn from the camp stand to benefit him in the future.
“Test cricket is a big thing for me,” said Brevis.
“I want to be a three-format player. Test cricket is the pinnacle, so to be able to be in an environment where we work on that and have a lot of discussions about the Test game is just great. It’s good to know you’re a part of the plans going forward.
“I am grateful that I have got all the opportunities to play in all the T20 leagues at an early age but it has never changed my passion, why I play the game. My passion is to play all three formats.
“It’s always great to be around the players that have played the game for so long because they have all went through the ups and downs. They found their way to deal with it. As a young player you don’t just have to learn from failing or making mistakes but you can learn from their success and failures and it helps you learn quickly.”
Asked about the mental shift from limited-overs cricket to Test cricket, Brevis believes it will be important to maintain his identity but also to make the necessary adjustments.
“I’m a player that’s fearless and aggressive, so in all three formats that’s who I will be and that is how I will play. For Test cricket I’ll have to do that for an extended period and identify moments where I’ll be very aggressive and also moments where I am more on the slower side, because in Test cricket you have to be able to shift gears for a long time.”