Dewald Brevis’ stated aim at the start of the season to loosen up and enjoy himself delivered more positive results on Saturday as he scored his fourth first class hundred to put the Titans on top in their four-day fixture against North West at Supersport Park.
A day after Hampshire confirmed that Brevis would be joining his 19-year-old teammate Lhuan-dre Pretorius at the County for the T20 Blast, he delivered a display that showed why that would be money well spent.
His innings started the previous day with his side in trouble on 9/2, but his counterattack changed the tone and allowed the Titans to take control on Saturday. North West’s attack is thin and when Hardus Viljoen, who picked up 5/132, didn’t have the ball, Brevis, who made 148 and Keegan Petersen, were able to make hay against the rest.
They shared a partnership worth 245 runs, which was dominated by the soon to be 22-year-old starlet. All those pretty drives were allied with some muscular pull shots and he reached his century with an arrogant flick for six off his legs against Lutendo Tsanwani. He faced 155 balls, hitting 17 fours and five sixes.
It was his second century in the competition this season and along with last week’s 99 against Western Province, provided another illustration of how he’s been able to transfer form between the different formats.
He was one of the standout players in the SA20 for champions MI Cape Town and immediately followed that by finishing as the second highest run-scorer in the One-Day Challenge, a competition in which he scored three fifties and one century.
As the Proteas sharpen their focus for the 2027 World Cup, Brevis’ form this summer is clearly a statement the selectors can’t ignore. With a T20 series in Zimbabwe in July, a limited-overs tour to England in September and white ball series in Pakistan and India after that, there will be plenty of opportunities for Brevis to be tested at international level.
Yesterday also saw Petersen make a much-needed hundred, ending a frustrating period — stretching back to South Africa’s tour to New Zealand last year — in which his form has been patchy.
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