Dewald Brevis with AB de Villiers. Photo: Twitter
MIRROR IMAGE: De Villiers to continue mentoring ‘Baby AB’ [Video]
Former Proteas legend AB de Villiers says he does see ‘similarities in style’ with talented South Africa U19 star Dewald Brevis.
Dewald Brevis with AB de Villiers. Photo: Twitter
The SA U19 side recently suffered a defeat against India in their opening ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup fixture, but exciting Dewald Brevis caught the eye as he scored 65 off 99 balls before Vicky Ostwal bagged figures of five for 28 to dismiss South Africa for 187 and seal a 45-run victory. Brevis – who has been nicknamed ‘Baby AB’ – has continued to draw comparisons with legendary former Proteas superstar AB de Villiers.
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During his most recent innings, Brevis hit two extravagant sixes that particularly bore 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 on Monday.
“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.”
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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.”
