Dewald Brevis is one of the rising stars in the South African team. He has drawn comparisons with the legendary AB de Villiers ever since his U19 days and now the youngster has spoken up about it.
Brevis showed glimpses of his batting ability during the U19 World Cup 2022, when he top-scored in the competition with 506 runs in 6 innings at an average of 84.33, including three fifties and two centuries.
Soon after, he got his first IPL gig with the Mumbai Indians and fans began lovingly calling him 'Baby AB'. He subsequently debuted for the Proteas but took time to get going at the top level.
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However, following his return to the team in 2025, with more maturity and improved skill, he has spoken about comparing himself with his role model.
Dewald Brevis speaks about the 'Baby AB' tag
After an impressive Indian Premier League season as an injury replacement in Chennai Super Kings, Brevis returned to the Protea side in July 2025 and immediately started to impress.
He also earned his Test and ODI debuts within a couple of months. The 22-year-old scored 125*(56) against Australia in Darwin and a fifty on Test debut as well.
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He started his ODI career with a six on the first ball followed by a six on the second ball against England to hit the winning runs on Tuesday evening, as SA chased down 137 runs in just 20.5 overs.
"Definitely, whenever I was called AB, it has never been any pressure. We actually spoke about it yesterday. But yeah, it was always just an honor for me to be compared with him — he has always been my role model," Brevis told SkySports Cricket.
"I think now to just play my own game and focus. I am enjoying it, I think as time goes on, people would see the way I play is different and I just want to be original to that," he remarked.
De Villiers played 114 Tests for 8765 runs at an average of 50.66 with the help of 22 hundreds and 46 fifties. In ODIs, he played 228 matches to score 9577 runs at an average of 53.50 and striking at over 101.09, earning a reputation as a modern-day great across formats.
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His T20 batting was also a treat to watch, with how he manipulated the bowlers and hit unorthodox shots — much like Brevis in his early days.