South African batting prodigy Dewald Brevis produced a blistering 41-ball century against Australia in the second T20 International at Darwin’s Marrara Cricket Ground, earning praise from cricketing greats and sparking renewed excitement about his potential.
Former Proteas star AB de Villiers described Chennai Super Kings’ decision to sign the 22-year-old as “possibly the franchise’s biggest masterstroke” after his match-winning knock. “There was such a golden opportunity for IPL teams to snap up Dewald Brevis at the auction! Missed out badly. CSK either got very lucky or perhaps pulled off the biggest masterstroke ever. The boy can play,” de Villiers wrote on social media.
Brevis, who went unsold at the IPL auction before joining CSK as an injury replacement, had already shown promise in this year’s tournament — scoring 225 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 180 — but his innings in Darwin elevated his profile even further.
South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi also lauded the young batter, calling him “a machine” and urging fans to back him through highs and lows. “Whether he is successful or has a few failures along the way — which is totally normal with the kind of high-impact innings he plays — we’ve got to give him love and keep his confidence up,” Shamsi posted.
Coming in at No. 4 for only his ninth T20I appearance, Brevis unleashed a display of clean hitting, smashing nine fours and eight sixes. He took particular liking to Glenn Maxwell, scoring 23 runs off five deliveries from the Australian all-rounder. His knock not only became the second-fastest T20I century by a South African — behind David Miller’s 35-ball hundred against Bangladesh in 2017 — but also set a new record for the quickest T20I ton by a South African against Australia.
Fastest T20I centuries for South Africa:
- David Miller – 35 balls vs Bangladesh, 2017
- Dewald Brevis – 41 balls vs Australia, 2025
- Quinton de Kock – 43 balls vs West Indies, 2023
- Richard Levi – 45 balls vs New Zealand, 2012
- Faf du Plessis – 46 balls vs West Indies, 2015
Brevis also became the youngest South African to reach a T20I hundred, surpassing Quinton de Kock’s milestone and eclipsing Hashim Amla’s long-standing record of highest individual score against Australia in the format.
For CSK fans, the innings was yet another reason to believe they may have unearthed their next superstar.
