Twenty-one-year-old Dewald Brevis smashed the fastest 150 in T20 cricket, reaching the milestone in just 52 balls. Cricket fans know him as “Baby AB” because he plays like the legendary AB de Villiers, yet Brevis has carved out his own identity through remarkable achievements.
The South African prodigy’s impressive stats speak for themselves. He holds South Africa’s highest T20 score with 162 runs from 57 balls. His international career took off after his T20I debut against Australia on August 30, 2023. The young star earned Player of the Tournament honors at the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and scored 506 runs to break Shikhar Dhawan’s record. His talent has taken him to prestigious teams like the Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Chennai Super Kings, making him one of cricket’s most thrilling young prospects.
The Early Life and Inspirations of Dewald Brevis
Image Source: Hindustan Times
Dewald Brevis started his cricket experience in the most heartwarming way – right in his backyard in Johannesburg, where he was born on April 29, 2003. His father Jack Brevis showed incredible support by building a cricket pitch in their backyard. This allowed young Dewald to practice with his elder brother, Reinard.
His family’s dedication ran deep. His mother Yolanda became his bowling partner whenever Reinard couldn’t practice with him. She even crafted cricket shirts that looked like AB de Villiers’ jersey, helping nurture a dream that would captivate cricket fans worldwide.
“AB is my childhood hero,” Brevis once revealed. His home’s proximity to SuperSport Park in Centurion let him watch de Villiers play from the grass embankment. He absorbed every movement and technique naturally, without any formal coaching in those early years.
His education began at Laerskool Hennopspark in Centurion. He later attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies), a prestigious school that produced cricket legends AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. This environment shaped his cricket philosophy significantly.
The nickname “Baby AB” follows Brevis everywhere, though he remains humble about it. “To be called Baby AB…I don’t even know what to say. I am nowhere near what AB de Villiers was,” he admitted. “But I love being called that, it’s a real honor and surreal”.
Brevis has built a meaningful mentoring relationship with de Villiers. “He teaches me small things that helps me a lot. It’s about my mindset, the way to play the game,” Brevis explained. This guidance has fueled his ambitious outlook, reflected in his bold statement: “I want to be the best cricketer that has ever lived” – remarkably similar to de Villiers’ own declaration in 2009.
The Journey Through Domestic and Franchise Cricket
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Dewald Brevis burst onto the Twenty20 scene on October 8, 2021. He represented South Africa Under-19s against Easterns in the CSA Provincial T20 Knock-Out tournament and scored 46 runs from just 25 balls. Northerns signed him before the 2021-22 domestic cricket season, marking the start of his professional career.
Mumbai Indians recognized his talent after his record-breaking Under-19 World Cup performance and signed him for the 2022 IPL season. He made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders with a promising 29 off 19 balls. His explosive batting skills shone through against Punjab Kings as he smashed 49 off 25 balls with 4 fours and 5 sixes.
Brevis has become a global T20 star through his franchise cricket performances. His IPL stint with Mumbai Indians spans 10 matches where he scored 230 runs at an average of 23.00 and a strike rate of 133.72. His time with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the 2022 CPL was memorable – he hit 5 consecutive sixes against Trinbago Knight Riders.
MI Cape Town’s success story features Brevis as a central character. He powered them to their first SA20 title in 2024 with a blazing 38 off 18 balls in the final. The tournament saw him finish as the sixth-highest run-getter, amassing 230 runs at a strike rate of 184.
His domestic cricket numbers tell a story of consistency. He has scored 1322 runs in 20 first-class matches at an average of 41.31. The List A format has yielded him 1065 runs from 25 matches at an impressive 48.40 average. T20 cricket remains his forte with 1829 runs from 82 matches at a strike rate of 145.38.
Chennai Super Kings picked up Brevis as a replacement for injured Gurjapneet Singh in IPL 2025, paying INR 2.2 crore. This came after he went unsold in the auction despite a modest base price of INR 75 lakh. He now joins an elite club of cricketers who have played for both five-time champions CSK and MI in the IPL.
Records, Achievements, and the Making of a Star
Image Source: SuperSport
Cricket fans watched in amazement on October 31, 2022, as Dewald Brevis let loose a batting masterclass that made history. He smashed an incredible 162 runs off just 57 balls while playing for the Titans against the Knights in Potchefstroom. This performance earned him a special place in cricket’s record books.
His spectacular innings went way beyond just the final score. Brevis showed his technical brilliance by achieving several milestones:
- Highest T20 score ever made in South Africa
- Second-fastest T20 century by a South African
- Fastest 150 in T20 cricket worldwide, reached in just 52 balls
- Most sixes (13) in a T20 innings in South Africa
- At 19 years and 185 days, became the youngest South African to score a T20 century
Brevis’s record-breaking streak continued in international cricket. He scored an incredible 506 runs at an average of 84.33 during the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup, breaking Shikhar Dhawan’s previous tournament record. South Africa didn’t win the trophy, but his exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Tournament award.
He showed amazing consistency throughout the tournament with five 50+ scores. These included two centuries and near-hundreds of 96 and 97. He proved his all-round skills by taking seven wickets with his off-spin bowling.
Chennai Super Kings signed him in 2025 after he powered MI Cape Town to their first title. His SA20 campaign stood out with 291 runs at a strike rate of 184.17. He dominated the six-hitting charts with 25 maximums.
His first-class cricket stats prove his versatility across formats. He has scored three centuries in 17 matches with an average of 38.14. All the same, his international career is just beginning with only two T20I appearances for South Africa so far.
Brevis stands out from other young talents by knowing how to deliver match-winning performances in competitions of all sizes. This makes him one of cricket’s most exciting prospects today.
Conclusion
Dewald Brevis is on the verge of what could become one of cricket’s most remarkable careers. His experience started on a backyard pitch his father built, and now he’s breaking T20 records with his exceptional talent and steadfast dedication. At just 21, he has achieved what many cricketers can only dream of in their entire careers.
The “Baby AB” nickname definitely captures how much his style matches his childhood hero, AB de Villiers. His record-breaking performances in domestic leagues and franchise cricket show he’s building his own legacy. When he says “I want to be the best cricketer that has ever lived,” you can see his drive and mindset.
What’s really impressive is how Brevis keeps improving his game in any discipline. He scores faster without losing consistency, and his technical brilliance shines through. This makes him valuable to franchises worldwide, which explains why Chennai Super Kings picked him up after he went unsold at first in the auction.
He’s played just two T20Is for South Africa so far, but this is just the beginning of an extraordinary story. The cricket world is happy to watch this prodigy grow, as he works toward his dream of becoming one of the sport’s greatest players. Based on his path so far, that goal seems more achievable every day.
