Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has commented on Dewald Brevis’ rise, noting that the young South African has had to shoulder the expectations that come with being called ‘Baby AB’.
The 22-year-old, long compared to AB de Villiers, carried the nickname from his Under-19 days. Maxwell acknowledged that the tag was often more of a burden than a blessing, especially given how quickly Brevis was thrust into the international spotlight.
“It’s a pretty heavy burden he had to have early in his career. He probably got fast-tracked a little bit into the South African side. He’s gone away, worked on his game, and he’s come back playing beautifully. His bat swing is really pure—he’s hard to stop when he gets going,” said Maxwell as quoted by Yahoo News.
Brevis’ latest performances have been nothing short of amazing. In the second Twenty20 International against Australia, he scored an undefeated 125 off 56 balls, including 12 fours and eight sixes. His innings had a strike rate of 223, driving the Proteas to 218 for 7 and helping them secure a 53-run win. The outstanding performance catapulted him up the ICC T20I rankings, as he climbed 80 places to 21st, scoring a career-high 614 rating points.
Dewald Brevis made a bright start with the Mumbai Indians (MI), but he struggled with consistency and eventually left the team.
IPL 2025 gave him a fresh start with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), when he was signed as an injury replacement for INR 2.2 crore. In six games, he scored 225 runs at a strike rate of 180, including two half-centuries, reinforcing his T20 credentials.
Brevis has played two Tests and ten Twenty20 Internationals, and he is in contention for South Africa’s ODI selection against Australia. The Proteas will meet Australia in a three-match ODI series, with the first match on August 19.
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