‘Baby AB’ Drewald Brevis takes MI Cape Town to first-ever SA20 title, one six at a time | Cricket News

TimesofIndia.com in Johannesburg: Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton gave MI Cape Town a rollicking start against Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 final on Saturday. Two sixes and a four came in the second over. Another six arrived in the next. There were two more sixes in the subsequent over. The next also had one. That’s six sixes and a boundary by the fifth over.

50 up on the board. As far as showing intent in a high profile game is concerned, MICT had done just that and how.

And yet, they were only getting started.
Craig Overton, Richard Gleeson, Liam Dawson struck quickly with MICT adding only 16 runs to their tally across 19 balls. George Linde arrived, smashed three sixes in his 14-ball and 20-run 11-minute stay.

Advantage SEC? Not quite.
With Connor Esterhuizen by his side, Brevis did just what he has been doing this entire SA20 season – hit sixes.

(Photo credit: Sportzpics)
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The 21-year-old started cautiously, four singles in the first six balls, before entering the territory he’s occupied time and again in the last month.
SA20 Final – As It Happened
Brevis, who came into the SA20 final with a season-high 21 sixes, clocked his 22nd to Dawson’s full delivery which went flying to long-on. The 23rd came immediately after – on the other side of the straight – hit with the spin to be clobbered for a mighty maximum.

The 21-year-old is not new to the T20 leagues. He’s played 80 of them across SA20, Major League Cricket, IPL and CPL. As a youngster he watched videos of AB de Villiers on Instagram and tried to copy Mr. 360’s shot-making.
At 19, Brevis smashed 162 runs off just 57 balls during the CSA T20 Challenge in a match between Titans and Knights in Potchefstroom. One of those who applauded ‘baby AB‘ was the legendary Proteas batter himself. He wrote on social media, “Dewald Brevis. No need to say more.”
Perhaps the most poignant message came from ex-South African allrounder Albie Morkel. “Bowlers will be under serious pressure for the next 15+ years.”
831 days later, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape bowlers understood why he had said such a thing.
Andile Simelane bowled a full delivery, on off stump, Brevis smoked it over wide long-on for another six. That is number 24.

His next was less ABD and more Suryakumar Yadav. Overton darted in, threw in a 116kmph slower one, Brevis lost the bottom hand of the bat and yet got enough on it to send it 79m long.
In an attempt at keeping the flow of runs going, Brevis smacked a Marco Jasen delivery to Aiden Markram at long-off. The SEC captain held on, the players celebrated, enthusiastically by leaping up and down. Understandably so. But, it appeared, the damage had been done.
Brevis had enthralled a 22,885 fans at the Wanderers, slamming 38 from 18 balls with two fours and four sixes in there at a strike rate of 211.11.
With 181 on the board, the highest this season in Johannesburg, two-time defending champions SEC had an arduous task ahead of them. A target they couldn’t make.

Tony de Zorzi, star of the second qualifier, tried to replicate that with a 23-ball 26 with support from Tom Abell (30 from 25), stitching a 57-run partnership, after going down to 8/2 in the third over.
It didn’t take long for MICT to bowl out the two-time defending champions, winning by 76 runs, for their sixth match triumph in a row and extended their unbeaten run to eight matches.