Dewald Brevis has been named in South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe, a significant call-up that signals the beginning of a new chapter in the Proteas’ white-ball setup. With Heinrich Klaasen announcing his retirement from international cricket last month, the race to replace him in the middle order has quietly begun, and Brevis has thrown his name into the mix with a standout 2025 across formats.
Heinrich Klaasen was one of South Africa’s most reliable and explosive middle-order options in T20Is and ODIs. Known for his ability to counter spin and accelerate in the middle overs, Klaasen played a vital role in South Africa’s white-ball setup since his debut in 2018. But after stepping away from Tests in early 2024 and being left out of CSA’s central contracts list this year, his full retirement wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Head coach Shukri Conrad confirmed that Klaasen hadn’t been in recent conversations and admitted he was disappointed to lose a player of such impact. “He’s one of the best in the world, if not the best, among the white-ball middle-order batters,” Conrad said. While no reason was formally given, it’s understood that Klaasen’s pre-existing commitments to MLC and The Hundred would have clashed with South Africa’s upcoming tours, and Conrad has been vocal about wanting his top players available for national duty.
Klaasen finished his career with 118 white-ball internationals but only played 23 World Cup matches. His absence leaves South Africa searching for a new match-winner in the middle overs.
If there’s one batter whose 2025 has screamed “ready,” it’s Dewald Brevis. The 21-year-old has had a prolific year in T20 cricket, playing across SA20, IPL, and the Vitality Blast. In 22 innings so far this year, he has scored 682 runs at an average of 40.11 and a strike rate of 181.86, including a whopping 59 sixes, on par with Nicholas Pooran, who’s played seven innings more.
The 59 sixes is the fourth-most by anyone in all T20s this year as of now.
He started the year brightly in the SA20, smashing 291 runs for MI Cape Town at a strike rate of 184.17, the highest strike-rate in the tournament (min. 10 balls). He followed it up with a late entry into the IPL as a replacement signing for Chennai Super Kings. Batting in the middle order for CSK, Brevis racked up 225 runs in just six innings at a strike rate of 180 and an average of 37.50.
Just days after IPL 2025 ended, Brevis debuted in the T20 Blast for Hampshire and made an immediate impact, smashing 68 off 32 balls. His innings featured four fours and six sixes and helped Hampshire post a massive 230/7, eventually winning the match by 106 runs. That knock continued a theme: wherever Brevis has played this year, he has made runs — quickly, aggressively, and consistently.
Brevis is often labelled a T20 specialist, but his numbers in 50-over cricket suggest a more complete batter is emerging. In the CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge, Brevis batted between Nos. 4 and 6 and finished as the second-highest run-getter. He averaged 66 and struck at 156, registering a century and three fifties in seven matches.
He also finished as the second-highest run-scorer in South Africa’s first-class competition last summer, averaging 47.75. As a result, he has also been included in South Africa’s Test squad for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, an indication that the selectors see him as a genuine all-format player in the long run.
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From a skillset standpoint, Brevis offers many of the traits that made Klaasen valuable. He’s a powerful six-hitter, especially against spin, and is comfortable playing between overs 7–15, a phase where Klaasen excelled in T20s. Brevis can bat anywhere in the top six, giving the team flexibility in how they shape their lineup.
He brings energy at the crease, rotates strike well, and rarely lets bowlers settle. His shot range, power game, and rapid starts make him a threat in any T20 lineup. In that sense, he mirrors what Klaasen brought to the team, only at a younger age, with long-term potential.
While Brevis has ticked many boxes this year, a notable concern remains: his vulnerability against high-end pace and the short ball. At domestic level, and even in the IPL, this hasn’t been widely exposed, but at the international level, quality fast bowlers may target that weakness more deliberately.
His technique against the short ball remains a work in progress. For now, South Africa might consider pairing him with more experienced campaigners in the middle order, shielding him slightly while allowing him to grow into the role.
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Brevis is no longer “Baby AB.” That nickname, once used to compare him with AB de Villiers, has been set aside. He is charting his own path, and 2025 has shown how far he has come. His IPL stint with CSK, followed by T20 Blast form and strong domestic numbers, have propelled him back into the national fold.
He was not part of CSA’s recent central contracts list , but his performances suggest that could soon change. With the T20 World Cup 2026 just a year away, Brevis has time and opportunity on his side. South Africa’s middle order is undergoing a transition, and he has a clear shot at owning that Klaasen-shaped role.
Replacing a player like Heinrich Klaasen isn’t easy. But Dewald Brevis is arguably the most exciting option South Africa have right now. The tri-series in Zimbabwe is a low-pressure environment to test him, and if he carries his domestic form into international cricket, the Proteas may have already found their answer ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
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