Proteas coach Rob Walter has explained Dewald Brevis’ omission from the T20I squad for the current series against the West Indies.
Brevis made a name for himself as the leading run-scorer at the 2022 U19 World Cup with 506 – the most by any batsman in a single edition of the tournament – and currently holds the record for the highest individual domestic T20 score in South Africa – 162 off 57 balls – which he struck for the Northerns Titans later that year.
Brevis earned an IPL contract with the Mumbai Indians and made his senior Proteas debut in a T20I home series against Australia in August 2023, scoring five and nought.
But the 21-year-old’s star has waned since then.
Brevis made just three appearances in this year’s IPL, scoring 69 runs at an average of 23.00 and a strike rate of 116.94, and only 85 runs in four MLC matches at an average of 21.25 and a strike rate of 132.81.
He has scored just two fifties in his last 10 T20 matches.
Walter told Rapport newspaper that Brevis is “always part of our plans”.
“He is part of a wider group of players who we always consider when selecting teams, but as a top-four batsman – as we see him in the national team – his performances have unfortunately not been good enough to match the current players’ places. That’s why he wasn’t chosen.”
Walter selected Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs and Rassie van der Dussen as his top-order batsmen for the West Indies series.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
