Brilliant Brevis helps Proteas to mammoth total
Exciting South African talent Dewald Brevis has lit up Darwin’s Marrara Oval with a blazing century during the second Twenty20 match against Australia on Tuesday.
Brevis scored an unbeaten 125 from just 56 balls with 12 fours and eight sixes, propelling South Africa to 7/218 after an uncertain start saw his team slide to 3/57.
The 22-year-old brought up his century in just 41 balls, the second fastest in South African T20 history. It was his first international century, having passed 50 once in two tests and registered a top score of 41 in eight Twenty20 internationals.
He unleashed a series of bold strokes, dominating a partnership of 126 in just 9.3 overs with the subdued Tristan Stubbs, who scored 32 in just 22 balls as the anchorman. Their 100 stand came up in only 44 balls, with Stubbs contributing 16.
Brevis was given a life on 56 when substitute fieldsman Matt Kuhnemann misjudged a catch at long on which went over the boundary. Brevis had already hit Maxwell for successive sixes and hit another after the drop in an over which cost 24.
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The performance was a marked contrast to Sunday’s opening match when South Africa failed to chase down Australia’s under-par 178. The visitors finished on 9/161 to lose by 17 runs and Brevis made just two.
Brevis revived South Africa after a messy start, scoring at a good rate but losing wickets regularly.
Captain Aiden Markram and wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton supercharged the innings by taking 19 from the second over of Australia’s first game bowling hero Josh Hazlewood, swatting a six each as South Africa charged to 0/32 from three overs.
But then wickets began to fall. Rickelton, who scored an enterprising 71 in the first game, aimed a pull at a Ben Dwarshuis shot ball but was beat for pace, with a simple catch lobbing to Tim David at mid-on. Rickelton made 14 from 10 balls.
Markham (18 in 13 balls) soon followed, driving a catch from offspinner Glenn Maxwell straight to Mitch Owen at mid off, and former school boy star Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 19, had a most confused dismissal. He advanced to Maxwell, hit the ball into his pad, and kept going, only for Alex Carey to gather the ball and stump him.
Each team made two changes, with Alex Carey flown in as cover for Josh Inglis, who struggled in the first match with flu-like symptoms and made a first ball duck. Seamer Sean Abbott replaced Nathan Ellis.
South Africa dropped spinners George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, replacing them and 23-year-old legspinner Nqaba Peter and batsman Rassie van der Dussen
Carey is part of the one-day squad scheduled to play a three-match series in Cairns and Mackay over the next fortnight after the third Twenty20 game in Cairns on Saturday.
AUSTRALIA: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (captain), Alex Carey (wkt), Cameron Green, Tim David, Mitch Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi
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