Overview:
Brevis, included in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad, will aim to rediscover his rhythm before the 20-team tournament begins.
Dewald Brevis hit back at criticism from a section of former South Africa cricketers, defending himself against talk of inconsistency. The aggressive right-hander scored 12 off 15 balls for Pretoria Capitals against Paarl Royals in Saturday’s SA20 clash and later made it clear he isn’t fazed by their comments, saying those voices are “no longer playing” the game.
Brevis made the statement only a few days after being called out by Herschelle Gibbs on X. Gibbs, a former South Africa opener, argued that the batter lacks match control and questioned the messaging coming from the coaching group.
Brevis’ SA20 returns have been modest so far, with knocks of 6, 12, 36*, 8, 12 and 12, adding up to 88 runs from seven outings. Even before the league got underway, the “Baby AB” tag came under scrutiny after a below-par run with the bat in the five-match T20I series against India.
“It doesn’t worry me at all. The people making those comments, legends or not, aren’t on the field anymore. So it’s their view and it doesn’t affect me. I don’t even read it. I’m having fun, doing my job and hitting the ball the way I should. I’m good. There’s always chatter, no matter where you’re playing SA20 or elsewhere,” he said on Saturday.
“So whether it’s a World Cup or anything else, it’s still just cricket, the same game and the same white ball. I’m going to enjoy it and play the way I normally do. There will always be outside noise, but it doesn’t get to me,” he added.
Dewald Brevis named in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad
Brevis, included in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad, will aim to rediscover his rhythm before the 20-team tournament begins. He has featured in 19 T20Is so far, amassing 469 runs at a strike rate of over 173. His first T20 hundred came against Australia last year, where he took apart the bowling attack, including veteran seamer Josh Hazlewood. The Proteas, grouped with Afghanistan, New Zealand, Canada, and the UAE, will kick off their campaign on February 9 against Canada in Ahmedabad.