Reasons to be cheerful about Dewald Brevis

That Dewald Brevis and Elon Musk were born in South Africa is a rare point of connection between them. Here's another: they are rich men.

Of course, that needs qualification. At 22, Brevis has an estimated net worth of between USD2-million and USD3-million. Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since November 2020, when he overtook Bill Gates. In May this year Forbes Magazine pegged Musk's net worth at USD424.7-billion. Thus he could be 212,350 times as rich as Brevis. For clarity, that's two hundred and twelve thousand, three hundred and fifty times.

What would Brevis do if a franchise offered him the equivalent of Musk's fortune to play for them?

The question is not hypothetical. At least not in the sense that Brevis hasn't provided an answer. He was asked it by a teammate recently. Brevis, eyes wide, blanched at the mere thought.

And reportedly said: "No. That would be selling your soul."

You don't need to hear Brevis talk for much more than a sentence to know he is intensely, vocally religious - which no doubt helped form his view above, if indeed he said that.

After Monday, Brevis might have to get used to people trying to buy his soul.

He reached 50 off 25 and 100 off 41, and he was 125 not out off 56 when South Africa's innings ended at 218/7, which set up victory in the second T20I against Australia in Darwin by 53 runs.

That earned Brevis the accolade of South Africa's highest score in the format, as well as becoming their youngest and fastest T20I century-maker.

Far more important than any of that was the way Brevis played, with the joyful abandonment of a boy on a beach and just his brother, a bat and a ball for company.

He crunched four runs fewer than a century in fours and sixes alone - which comprised more than three-quarters of his innings. And he hammered 66 - or more than half his contribution - straight down the ground.

The scorecard says Brevis and Tristan Stubbs shared 126 for the fourth wicket. What the scorecard doesn't say is that Brevis faced only 13 more balls than Stubbs in the stand - but made 60 more runs than his partner during their collaboration.

Maybe the most memorable of Brevis' eight sixes was launched off the first delivery of the 10th, which Sean Abbott pitched fullish and just outside off stump. Brevis dabbed a step towards the ball and cocked his backswing for a booming drive, which he unleashed with visceral violence. The ball met the middle of the bat, which sent it arching high over long-on.

All the while Brevis' chin was tucked into his chest and his head stayed firmly down.

It's one thing to be able to play strokes like that, quite another to not bother watching the result of them sail through the sky.

"The main thing was just to be the original Dewald; every ball, wherever it is, watch it and hit it," Brevis told a press conference. "So it just happens, basically."

Ah. That explains it. It's basic. Simple. Even the head-down bit?

"That's just my natural way of hitting. I've hit thousands of balls and I just want to go out there, enjoy it and have fun; just watch [the ball onto the bat] and then if it's there, it happens. I don't try to do it. I'm just trying to be myself."

But there was, after everything, a chink of healthy ego in his armour of religion and selflessness: "I've always believed that this is where I need to be and where I will be. Never ever have I doubted myself."

It's a relief to have evidence that Brevis is human after all. He even makes mistakes. For instance, did he know who previously held the record for South Africa's highest T20I score?

"If someone didn't tell me after the game I wouldn't have known. But it's Jacques Kallis, if I'm correct."

Kallis' highest score in his 23 T20I innings was 73. The right answer is Faf du Plessis, who claimed the record with his 56-ball 119 against West Indies at the Wanderers in January 2015.

Thus informed, Brevis said, "Is it Faf? I got it wrong, but it's a privilege and an honour. Yeah, there's not a lot of words."

Young man, your success in cricket will be measured by how you score runs. Not in words. Besides, you were 12 when Du Plessis played that innings; doubtless you were doing your homework, or something.

Elon Musk was already a rich man by then. But he wasn't yet a despised embarrassment in the country of his birth. Only later would he out himself as a monster of the age, which is how he will be remembered by many of his compatriots.

You, by contrast, will always be celebrated as Dewald Brevis. Keep your head down, kid.