T20 World Cup | Albie Morkel press conference on South African bowling power, Rabada’s form
At the beginning of the season, the situation did not improve. At Rs 16.5 million (Rs 9.33 crore), the most expensive buy in SA20 history started with 6 and 12 against Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape respectively. There were only two explosive knocks in the next six matches, an unbeaten 13-ball 36 against MI Cape Town and a 19-ball 34 against the same opposition.In the first eight matches, the 22-year-old amassed a total of 141 runs from 96 balls at an average of 20.14.In the last three matches, including the final, the situation turned around. ‘Baby AB’ saved the best for last with scores of 53, 75* and 101* to amass 370 runs in the season to become the second highest run-scorer in the fourth season of the SA20, behind Quinton de Kock.The unbeaten century was the first century in an SA20 final. An unbeaten 75 off just 38 balls took Pretoria Capitals to the final. But the most impressive, arguably, was 53, where he took a franchise-high 7 for 5 in a successful chase against the Joburg Super Kings.
Brevis will always be our trump card, just with the way he plays the game. He does some things and some things that a lot of us can’t do
Ryan Rickelton
His Pretoria Capitals captain, Keshav Maharaj, praised his maturity and class.“With the maturity he’s shown in these last couple of matches, nobody would have expected Brevis to do that. We know he’s a hard-hitting, six-hitting player, but he just showed his composure and his class. He’s someone who we know if he bats 50 balls, he’ll get a hundred,” Maharaj said after the SA20 final.Ryan Rickelton, who had a wide range of shots in the middle order, described Brevis as South Africa’s “trump card”.“Our trump card is always going to be Brevis, just the way he plays the game. He does some things and some things that a lot of us can’t do,” Rickelton said.And here he was, the South African trump, finding form at the right moment.
Dewald Brevis of Pretoria Capitals celebrates his century during the SA20 Season 4 Final between Pretoria Capitals (PC) and The Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC)
Not that the Johannesburg native has any reason to show his credentials. In 52 T20Is from 2025, which included the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, he produced 1537 runs from 52 innings at an average of 35.7 and a strike rate of 173. He hit eight fifties and two centuries during that period, hitting 130 sixes.Even Brevis’ bat seemed to rain sixes in someone else’s hands, as de Kock discovered after borrowing the right-hander’s willow at Centurion, where he slammed six fours and ten sixes for his second T20I hundred.“His batting is uncomplicated. The base is very solid, it allows the front foot to move out so the bat is not restricted at all. He also has confidence in what he can do and is willing to hit no matter what happened on the previous delivery,” said former India player Aakash Chopra of Brevis.T20 vs India World Cup Prep
South Africa’s Dewald Brevis plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Canada and South Africa in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
So far, Brevis has not set the stage on fire at the T20 World Cup, but he has made some valuable cameos. He scored a 19-ball 23 against Afghanistan, followed by a 17-ball 21 against New Zealand and most recently a 25-ball 36 against the UAE, including four and three sixes.“Not at all. Every ball I’ve hit and every moment I’ve been there, I feel my confidence is in a great place and I’m enjoying myself out there,” Brevis said of his form at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.One of Brevis’ sixes was recorded 87 meters and went several rows into the stands. Interestingly, the right-hander used to be weak against that trick. He now claims he “loved it when it was short”.This is at the forefront of “Dewald’s way”, as he put it.
South Africa’s Dewald Brevis bowls the super over during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Afghanistan and South Africa in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
“I’ve grown as a player, I like who I’ve become. It’s totally Dewald’s journey. I’m really enjoying it and it’s been amazing. I know what it’s like to have ups and downs. But that’s all part of it and that’s how you find out who you are as a player and who you are as a person. So I’ve really enjoyed every moment,” he said.Next up at the South African team’s base in Ahmedabad is India, a clash between the finalists of the previous edition and coming shortly after they met on these shores in a bilateral series.“It’s funny that my dad said during this series, ‘whatever you do, it’s really just preparing you for the T20 World Cup when you play them (India)’,” Brevis said.“So I went for it. But it will still be a new game, new conditions. It will be a new start for both teams. We can just be the best on the day, take care of the little things and enjoy the moment,” he added.South Africa take on defending champions India in Ahmedabad on Sunday and Brevis knows the stakes are rising. Fresh conditions, well-known rivals and dynamics finally on his side make this an ideal stage. After a season that has swung wildly between struggle and dominance, South Africa’s trump card now walks in the belief that this is his moment to cash in.