Batting low down the order at No.7 on his South Africa ‘A’ debut, Dewald Brevis smashed a swashbuckling 98 not out off 71 balls to take his team to victory against Sri Lanka A in the first Unofficial ODI in Pallekele.

Brevis has always had a lot of hype around him. He first displayed his talents during the 2022 Under-19 World Cup and has since made rapid strides, finding a place in one of the most successful T20 teams in the world, Mumbai Indians.

Yesterday (June 4), he made his South Africa ‘A’ debut and proved once again that all the hype around him is justified.

Sri Lanka ‘A’ scored 264-8, a competitive total, while batting first. Brevis was used as the sixth bowler by the South Africa ‘A’ captain Tony de Zorzi. He bowled six overs for figures of 1-40, claiming the wicket of Ashen Bandara, the young right-handed batter who has represented Sri Lanka more than ten times on the international stage.

In the second innings, South Africa ‘A’ were in trouble at 104-5 in the 20th over. Brevis, who is generally a top-order batter, was used lower down as a finisher at No.7 yesterday (June 4).

He first partnered with Sinethemba Qeshile, the South Africa ‘A’ wicketkeeper, to resurrect the innings with a 51-run sixth-wicket partnership. That was followed by a much more explosive seventh-wicket partnership with Beyers Swanepoel, which eventually turned out to be match-winning.

They came together at 155-6, with South Africa ‘A’ still requiring 110 runs from around 20 overs, with just four wickets in hand. From there, Brevis took the attack to the opposition.

He scored 70 runs off the next 39 balls he faced, finishing unbeaten on 98 off 71 balls. His innings comprised as many as seven sixes and six fours, as he finished just short of a well-deserved hundred. It was also his highest List A score to date.

Swanepoel was unbeaten as well, on 43 off 28 balls, as the visitors eventually won the game comfortably by four wickets, with as many as 53 balls remaining.

South Africa ‘A’ will play two more Unofficial ODIs followed by two Unofficial Tests on this tour of Sri Lanka. Brevis has already shown the all round impact he can have on his South Africa ‘A’ debut. A few more such performances on this tour and a national cap might not be far away for him.