Cape Town - The Proteas may be focused on a crunch T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan in Sydney on Thursday, but even they could not keep their eyes away from Dewald Brevis’ outstanding record-breaking masterpiece for the Titans earlier this week.
Brevis shot the lights out with 162 off just 57 balls, and in the process shattered a number of records including a world best for the fastest 150 in T20 cricket, and it has certainly not gone unnoticed Down Under.
The teenager has been touted to break into the Proteas squad in the near future and senior statesman David Miller was certainly impressed by the youngster’s ability.
“To do that in any format or any level of cricket is something special. He definitely has shown what he's capable of. He's a huge talent, and we all know that,” Miller told reporters.
“He is still very young, so putting performances like that back at home is what is needed, and I don't think it's going to be long until we see him playing for South Africa.
“But yeah, there's still a lot to do, and I'm very excited to see what he's capable of in the years to come.”
There is little doubt that Brevis will play for the Proteas sooner rather than later, but he will certainly need to continue his game-breaking form to break into the national team top-order that has developed into a really powerful unit with Miller leading the way.
The 33-year-old is arguably in the finest form of his 13-year long international career, with the powerful left-hander averaging on the edge of 70 at a strike rate of 170.29 since last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.
He also played a pivotal role in leading his new franchise, the Gujarat Titans, to their maiden IPL title earlier this year with some breathtaking performances with the bat.
Miller is also standing up in the pressure situations, as he did last weekend with an unbeaten half-century to guide the Proteas home in their tense run chase against India.
“It has been a good ride the last year and a half. For me personally, I just try to draw back on past experiences. I feel like experience is a really valuable thing, and for example, the previous game, we were in a little bit of trouble, a lot of pressure to win the game.
“It's just about slowing the process down, understanding what is required right now. I feel like in the past we maybe could have got a little hasty. I really struggled up front whereas Aiden (Makram) was playing really well.
“So there were a lot of dot balls, and you can get a bit edgy and try and just counterattack as such. So I just try to slow myself down and realise that if I get through this period, the partnership is way more important than me just going out and giving my wicket away.
“It's just trying to weather the storm. I feel like I've been in a lot of different situations in my career, and it's about making sure that you're really in the moment and what's required is probably the most important. Execution then becomes another thing, but fortunately there were a couple opportunities that they missed, and that's part of the game. It obviously helps us out hugely.”
IOL Sport