News – 27 Jun 2025, Bulawayo, 40 mins ago
Dewald Brevis is only 22, yet he has already lived through the full carousel of early fame, abrupt rejection and quiet reinvention. On Saturday, the right-hander will finally earn his first Test cap when South Africa meet Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club. Seam bowler Codi Yusuf is set to debut alongside him.
Brevis’ first brush with the national side came in 2023, straight after a record-breaking Under-19 World Cup where he topped the run charts under coach Shukri Conrad. South Africa hurried him into a home T20I series against Australia, hoping lightning would strike twice. Scores of 5 and 0, both the result of ambitious strokes, brought the experiment to a halt. He was dropped for the decisive match and did not feature for the Proteas again – until now.
“That moment being there, and then being left out for a few years, that was quite tough. But I was young as well,” Brevis said during a relaxed media call in Bulawayo. “I’m grateful for how I handled that, and the people I had around me. It made me much more hungry for the game and to perform. I knew what I had to do and I put in the work and I kept believing.”
The route back was the long one: two full domestic first-class seasons, more than 1,000 runs at an average north of 44, and four patient hundreds that received little fanfare beyond provincial grounds. He also kept flexing his white-ball muscle – most memorably a 162 off 57 in the CSA T20 Challenge and a run of brisk fifties for Mumbai in the IPL. Yet Test cricket, he insists, remains the prize.
“For me, it’s the pinnacle format,” he said. “You can play all the leagues, you can play T20 and 50-over cricket, but there’s something about Test cricket. That’s really the ultimate.”
Brevis has no intention of altering the core of his game just because the format stretches over five days. “I just want to be the same guy that plays all formats. I’m not really trying to make any big changes,” he explained. “It’s all about watching the ball and just being true to myself. The key fact is we all know you have to bat longer. In order to bat longer, you have to take it ball by ball and not change the way you play a ball. So I’m not going to change anything.”
Conrad, now the national red-ball coach, appears satisfied with that approach. Privately, selectors believe Brevis’ uncomplicated mindset will translate once the new-ball shine fades in Test cricket. They point to his conversion rate in four-day matches and his readiness to leave or defend for long spells when conditions demand.
Yusuf’s call-up has been less heralded but is equally important for a South African attack seeking fresh legs. The Western Province seamer picked up 46 wickets at 22 in last season’s four-day competition, swinging the ball conventionally and reverse later on. His skiddy action mirrors that of Vernon Philander, though team insiders caution against direct comparisons. With Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen rested after a heavy workload, Yusuf slots in as the third quick behind Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will view the one-off Test as a chance to trip up a visiting side in transition. The hosts have prepared a surface expected to start slow and then break up, inviting spin on days four and five. That could mean an early examination for Brevis’ footwork and Yusuf’s stamina if long spells are required.
South Africa’s probable XI
1. Dean Elgar (capt) 2. Tony de Zorzi 3. Dewald Brevis 4. Aiden Markram 5. Heinrich Klaasen (wk) 6. Lhuan-dre Pretorius 7. Wiaan Mulder 8. Kagiso Rabada 9. Gerald Coetzee 10. Codi Yusuf 11. Keshav Maharaj
Pretorius’ inclusion, like Brevis’, continues a quiet youth movement. The 21-year-old keeper-batter topped South Africa’s charts at the last Under-19 World Cup and has since grown into a tidy middle-order option. His elevation allows Klaasen to focus primarily on batting but keep wicket until the spinners come on.
South Africa have not lost a Test to Zimbabwe in 10 meetings, yet recent history offers caution. Bangladesh and West Indies both stunned higher-ranked sides in similar one-off contests last year. Brevis, though, prefers to view the match less as a banana skin and more as an opportunity to cement habits.
“If I can walk off knowing I stuck to my processes, I’ll be happy, whatever the score,” he said, sounding far older than his years. It is a reminder that beneath the eye-catching strokeplay lies a player hardened by early disappointment.
Should Brevis’ first outing go to script, he may provide South Africa with the attacking No.3 they have lacked since AB de Villiers retired. Fail, and the selectors will urge patience. Either way, Saturday marks the next step in a young career determined to move at its own pace – ball by careful ball.
