The talented 22-year-old's breakout international performance was worth the wait
Will the 'original Dewald' please stand up?
Channelling the "original Dewald" has been the catalyst for Dewald Brevis's return to international cricket and breakout performance in Darwin on Tuesday night.
After bursting onto the scene with an IPL contract as an 18-year-old and a T20I debut as a 20-year-old, Brevis may have expected his career to kick on after earning his Proteas cap against Australia in the second half of 2023.
Instead, the prodigious talent spent two years in the international wilderness, wondering when his next chance in the South African shirt would come.
Having always been blessed with wonderful ball striking and an aggressive nature, Brevis revealed he came to a realisation in the final few days of 2024 that embracing his strengths was his path back to the top.
"Since 28 December 2024, that's really where I made that commitment," Brevis told reporters after his national record 125 not out at Marrara Stadium.
"I've got a few people, and they know who they are, who I trust.
"The main thing was to be the original Dewald … every ball, wherever it is, to watch it and to hit it."
It's a significant shift for the right-hander, who after being slapped with the moniker 'Baby AB' referencing the incomparable Abraham Benjamin de Villiers very early in his career, might have started believing he was the second coming of the SA great and not his own man.
Those couple of T20Is against Australia in August and September 2023 would be his only international appearances for close to two years, despite IPL contracts with the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings and a starring role with MI Cape Town in the SA20 league.
That drought was finally broken with a Test debut against Zimbabwe in June this year and with head coach Shukri Conrad now in charge of both the red-ball and white-ball sides, Brevis was picked for the subsequent T20 tri-series between SA, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.
"This is a very special place, the Proteas, for me," Brevis said.
"So to be a part of it and to go out of it, that wasn't easy. It was tough.
"But I'm extremely grateful. It's all a part of my journey and that's what makes you stronger.
"I had to make all those mistakes that all of the senior players actually warned me (about). They told me to watch out for this, do this, do that, and then I basically did the opposite.
"To go through that and to be able to be here now, it's special."
Fastest men's T20I centuries for South Africa
David Miller, 35 balls v Bangladesh 2017
Dewald Brevis, 41 balls v Australia 2025
Quinton de Kock, 43 balls v WI 2023
Richard Levi, 45 balls v NZ 2012
In his ninth T20I and 11th international overall, Brevis's maiden century was one to remember.
The 22-year-old's straight hitting was a feature of his hitting, with 63 of his runs coming between wide long on and wide long off.
Seven of his eight sixes came straight down the ground, including a 103-metre monster off Aussie quick Sean Abbott.
After a somewhat slow start to his innings (he was 14 off 12), Brevis attacked Australia's spinners Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa to great effect.
The Marrara wicket, which was the same one used on Sunday, offered little-to-no spin for the slower bowlers and Brevis cashed in, hitting 58 runs from the 21 balls of Maxwell and Zampa he faced.
That's a strike rate of 276 against the tweakers.
But according to Brevis, once he was in the zone, it didn't matter what Australia threw at him.
"I always knew I was happy if spin arrived, so I would have just watched it and maximized every single ball," Brevis said.
"But in a way, I felt like I was (also) happy if the seamers came (on), because the wicket was nice.
"I was in the moment, to be honest. So I was happy with whatever bowler it was."
BKT Tyres T20I Series - Australia v South Africa
August 10: Australia won by 17 runs
August 12: South Africa won by 56 runs
August 16: Third T20I v South Africa, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 7pm AEST
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
South Africa T20 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen
BKT Tyres ODI Series - Australia v South Africa
August 19: First ODI v South Africa, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 2:30pm AEST
August 22: Second ODI v South Africa, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 2:30pm AEST
August 24: Third ODI v South Africa, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 2:30pm AEST
Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
South Africa ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen