Dewald Brevis with AB de Villiers. Photo: Twitter

Dewald Brevis with AB de Villiers. Photo: Twitter

‘Baby AB’ continues to shine for SA U19 cricket side

Talented South Africa U19 star Dewald Brevis, who has drawn many comparisons to AB de Villiers, has continued to shine with the bat.

Dewald Brevis with AB de Villiers. Photo: Twitter

Dewald Brevis with AB de Villiers. Photo: Twitter

Top-order batter and leg-spinner Dewald Brevis produced another stellar display for the green and gold as he followed up his maiden Youth One-Day International (ODI) fifty against India with a first hundred at this level, recording a pivotal 104 off 110 balls (11 fours, 1 six) against Uganda.

He backed that up with another 96 runs as South Africa moved into the U19 World Cup quarter-finals as they defeated Ireland by 153 runs in Tarouba. Brevis is now the leading run scorer in the tournament with 265 runs accumulated.

READ | MARCO JANSEN IN, ANRICH NORTJE OUT OF PROTEAS ODI SQUAD FOR INDIA SERIES

As a batsman, Brevis appears to have many similarities to the batting style of De Villiers, who is a close mentor to the youngster.

“I know Dewald very well. I have been his mentor for about two years now and help him with his batting and his attitude towards cricket,” De Villiers told Netwerk24 recently.

“We have done quite a few sessions in the indoor nets together. I always invited him for one-on-one sessions when I was preparing for the Indian Premier League, then I threw balls at him and he at me.

“I have also been to his house, he has his own (nets) just there. I worked with him there and met his parents.”

Like De Villiers, Brevis also went to well-known high school Affies, and recently spoke of meeting his cricketing hero.

AB (de Villiers) came to our school. Schalk Engelbrecht (the 2021 South Africa schools captain), and I just ran to the room because we wanted to be near AB. We sat and listened to the most amazing stories and afterwards we walked out with AB. I took a chance and asked him for his number and he gave it to me.”

WATCH: POLICE CRASH ASHES AFTERPARTY: ‘IT’S TIME FOR BED!’

De Villiers has continued to watch the progress of Brevis closely, and says he has been impressed by what he’s seen.

“I have to say, I did not expect much, until I saw him bat for the first time, then I was quite surprised by the amount of potential he has,” said De Villiers.

“There are definitely similarities in style, the way he handles the bowlers and his attacking attitude. He still has a long way to go to work out his style, and not lose his wicket softly.”

Below you can watch a clip of Brevis at the U19 World Cup and see his similarities with De Villiers: