South African batting prodigy Dewald Brevis has set the cricketing world abuzz after hammering a blistering 41-ball century in the second T20I against
Australia at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin - a knock that has drawn high praise from none other than AB de Villiers.
The former South African captain took to X to applaud Chennai Super Kings' decision to rope in the 22-year-old as a replacement player, calling it "possibly the franchise's biggest masterstroke yet. "
"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 @BrevisDewald," de Villiers posted.
There was such a golden opportunity for IPL teams to pick up Dewald Brevis at the auction! Missed out badly. CSK either got very lucky, or maybe the biggest master stroke ever👏 The boy can play @BrevisDewald
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) August 12, 2025
Brevis, who went unsold in the IPL auction, reignited his career after joining CSK mid-season. In six matches, he piled up 225 runs at a strike rate of 180, standing out in what was otherwise a difficult campaign for the franchise.
His innings in Darwin was nothing short of breathtaking. Walking in at No. 4 in just his ninth T20I, Brevis wasted no time, hitting a boundary off his third delivery before launching his first six in the seventh over off Glenn Maxwell.
He dismantled Maxwell for 23 runs in five balls, blending raw power with exquisite timing. His final tally - 100 runs off 41 deliveries - included nine fours and eight towering sixes, making him the first South African to clear the ropes more than five times in a T20I against Australia.
The century is now the second-fastest for a South African in men's T20Is, bettering Quinton de Kock's 43-ball hundred against the West Indies in 2023 but behind David Miller's 35-ball record against Bangladesh in 2017. It also shattered the mark for the quickest T20I ton by a South African against Australia, surpassing Hashim Amla's unbeaten 97 off 62 in 2016.
With this knock, Brevis also became the youngest South African to score a T20I century - a record that could signal the dawn of a new era for Proteas cricket.
