RISING STAR BREVIS: I'LL PUT MY BODY ON THE LINE FOR MI CAPE TOWN

Betway SA20 and Dewald Brevis were a marketer’s dream.

Young, brash, exciting, and ready to blaze away and script a new future for South African cricket.

And after the competition’s opening match three seasons ago, when Brevis blitzed undefeated 70 off just 41 balls to light up Newlands, the stars were aligning.

But anything that is cooked to fast, it is often raw still on the inside, with Brevis and MI Cape Town struggling to reach those highs again.

Brevis’ form dropped to the point of him sitting out a few games in Season 2 while MI Cape Town could not lift themselves off the basement for the second successive season.

The transformation of both Brevis and MI Cape Town this past season has therefore been a revelation. The 21-year-old finally fulfilled his promise by being named Rising Star of Season 3 for his contributions that helped MI Cape Town dethrone double defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

Brevis’ blasted 291 runs at an average of 48.5 and strike-rate of 184.18 – the highest by any batter that passed 200 runs in the competition. He also cleared the boundary – 25 times – more than anyone else and took six amazing catches.

His amazing grab at the Wanderers against Joburg Super Kings was voted Absa Catch of the Season.

“Kruger van Wyk (MI Cape Town fielding coach), he played a big role I think in creating a great fielding atmosphere and culture in the team when it comes to training and stuff, and he made a little board like a leaderboard of being brilliant in the field like saving runs, creating opportunities, taking catches and I'm someone that likes to go for that,” Brevis said.

“I want to be on top of it, so yeah, he's always encouraging. We had lots of chats but that catch - it only happens if you look for the ball and you're in the moment and you just give your everything, dive around, anything can happen just need to watch the ball.

“Whatever the team needs. If I have to dive, and the ball is five metres from me and it's pretty stupid I'm not going to get there I'm going to do it … I'll put my body on the line and I'll give everything for the team.”

Brevis attributes both his batting form and excellence in the field to reverting to the basics and trying to play the game with a smile on his face again after all succumbing to all the pressure and hype early on.

Whether batting, fielding or bowling, Dewald Brevis had much to celebrate personally during Betway SA20 Season 3

“There's few things that I do differently but I literally just go out there to enjoy it,” he said. “Whatever this is I fully trust in God's plan for my journey so however it's going to turn out this was a lovely start for 2025 and yeah everything works out as it should. So just going to keep going and staying in the moment and keep giving my best.”

Brevis also feels that he has the full support of coach Robin Peterson and batting coach Hashim Amla to express himself.

“I think he created a very nice team culture and being honest with all of us and having good chats and yeah just making us be ourselves out there and just play our game not trying to box us in, just being every individual being themselves,” he said.

“Literally just feel backed. So, it's all being in the moment and it was so much fun.”