He's one of cricket's brightest batting talents and has played all over the world. Yet this week will mark Dewald Brevis' first taste of international cricket
Australia await 'Baby AB' after unique path to debut
As far as international debuts go, few are as anticipated as the one Dewald Brevis will make in the coming days.
The 20-year-old South African, dubbed 'Baby AB' for the resemblance of his stroke-play to that of AB de Villiers, has emerged as one of world cricket's brightest young batting talents over the past 24 months despite so far bypassing a senior debut for the Proteas.
Some have questioned whether Brevis may be the first of a new generation of young players for whom international cricket is a secondary consideration from the outset of their careers.
Yet Brevis has labelled his call-up to face Australia in both the T20 and ODI legs of their South Africa tour a "dream come true", suggesting he will draw on the fiery history of the two countries' rivalry when he makes his long-awaited bow.
The dynamo right-hander is unlikely to be daunted given his unique path to this week's three-T20I series in Durban beginning Thursday morning (2am AEST, Fox Cricket).
His journey is a remarkable illustration of an alternate, and increasingly lucrative, pathway through world cricket's myriad short-form leagues.
In many ways, the emerging Australian side Brevis will take on is less intimidating than what he has already faced. Mitch Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Pat Cummins, David Warner and Cameron Green are all recent opponents or teammates, but only the first three of those will play the T20s at Kingsmead.
Brevis has already played in lucrative domestic leagues in South Africa, India, the Caribbean and the USA, chalking up 44 senior T20 matches in less than two years since his debut. He was still a teenager when he struck the fastest 150 in men's T20s (52 balls) in October for his domestic side, Titans, on the way to the format's third-highest score, 162no from 57 balls featuring 13 sixes.
Even Marsh, Australia's fill-in captain for the tour, had to double check Brevis' age.
"How old is he now? Twenty?" Marsh asked on the eve of the series. "I think anytime you get a 20-year-old kid debuting for their country it's always exciting for international cricket. Hopefully it's the start of a great career for him."
Brevis, a product of the same Pretoria high school that honed the talents of former South Africa captains de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, first announced himself to a global audience when he broke the Under-19 World Cup run-scoring record (506 runs in six innings) last year in the Caribbean.
His talents were immediately seized upon not by his senior national team, but by another cricket powerhouse fast rivalling international boards in terms of global influence; Indian Premier League giant, Mumbai Indians.
The price? Thirty-million rupees, more than A$500,000, after a three-way bidding war; far more than he could expect to earn playing for South Africa.
Brevis showed glimpses of his rare skill in his maiden IPL season, hitting four consecutive sixes off Rahul Chahar and dismissing Virat Kohli with his leg-spin off the first ball he bowled in the tournament.
As appears the case with their extravagant bidding to secure another emerging superstar, Green, Mumbai's investment in Brevis was clearly made with a longer-term outlook. In fact, Green's arrival the following season at Mumbai for an even more eye-watering sum ($A3.2m) relegated Brevis to the bench for the entirety of the most recent IPL campaign.
Brevis however has already represented Mumbai Indians-affiliated teams on four continents; in India, South Africa and the USA where they own franchises in all of those countries' T20 leagues, and even in the UK for a three-week development tour last year.
His social-media feeds are dominated by photos and videos of him donning Mumbai's dark blue uniform. "The MI family makes me feel like I belong. They backed me at a very young age," Brevis told Cricbuzz in July. "I'll run through a wall for them."
South Africa hope he can sustain the desire to do the same for his country.
Brevis' colourful early words certainly suggest that is the case, reiterating how he had "wanted to be part of this amazing set-up of the Proteas … from a young age".
"I am so excited. It's going to be proper heat and lots of fighting, and I can't wait for that. I can't wait to go there and run straight into them. They are one of the top cricketing nations," Brevis told reporters at Kingsmead, where he recalls watching South Africa matches as a child and seeking autographs of players, before the Australia series.
"I remember basically South Africa batting, and the heat of Mitchell Johnson running in trying to kill the batters, and then we punch them straight back.
"The rivalry is always there, and there are going to be heated situations."
2023 Qantas T20s v South Africa
August 30: First T20I, Durban (August 31, 2am AEST)
September 1: Second T20I, Durban (September 2, 2am AEST)
September 3: Third T20I, Durban, September 3, 10pm AEST
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa
South Africa T20 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen
2023 Qantas ODIs v South Africa
September 7: First ODI, Bloemfontein (D/N), 9pm AEST
September 9: Second ODI, Bloemfontein (D/N), 9pm AEST
September 12: Third ODI, Potchefstroom (D/N), 9pm AEST
September 15: Fourth ODI, Centurion (D/N), 9pm AEST
September 17: Fifth ODI, Johannesburg, 6pm AEST
Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Tanveer Sangha, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
South Africa ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Brjor Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen