South Africa’s Dewald Brevis has made clear his intention to earn a long run in the national side, stating he wants “to be the best cricketer that has ever lived”.

The highly rated Proteas youngster is yet to catch fire at the top level, making five runs in two T20I appearances thus far. He first came to prominence at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, breaking the record for the most runs scored in a single edition of the competition. That performance earned him a deal at Mumbai Indians, rare for an overseas uncapped player, and he has since played for MI Cape Town and MI New York in the SA20 and Major League Cricket, as well as for St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League.

His overall statistics are promising but not outstanding, with averages either side of 40 in first-class and List A cricket, and an average and strike rate just below 25 and 140 respectively in T20 cricket. He has already claimed one record, however, notching the highest T20 score by a South African in 2022’s CSA T20 Challenge. He also broke the world record for the fastest score of 150 in the format, bringing the milestone up in 52 balls.

He has found the South Africa side tough to break into, with the Proteas having qualified for the semi-finals of the last World Cup in each format, and reaching a maiden World Cup final earlier this year. His recent selection for South Africa A suggests he is still in the selectors’ thoughts, and he bolstered his claim with scores of 49 and 74 in second ‘Test’ against Sri Lanka A after taking 4-46 to secure a consolation one-day win between the sides.

Speaking to South Africa’s Sunday Times, Brevis explained how he wanted to be viewed as an all-rounder in all formats.

“I want to get into all the Proteas squads, to be an all-format player. I want to be noticed as an all-rounder, not just a batter. I hope in the new season I really get more opportunities with the ball,” he said.

He also outlined his lofty personal ambitions. “It’s interesting … I’m never happy or satisfied with my performance, I feel that’s dangerous. When you think you’ve ‘made it’ or you’ve achieved something great, the game will bring you back down to earth very quickly. I’m always in competition with myself. I want to be Dewald Brevis.

“I want to be the best Dewald Brevis, play with a smile, enjoy the game and do my best. If I do that, put in the hard work, I know exactly what will happen.”

“I know exactly what I want. I want to inspire people. I want to be the best cricketer that has ever lived. I will do whatever it takes to do that.”

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