South Africa’s star batter Dewald Brevis was in electrifying form on Saturday, scoring a brilliant 53 off 26 balls in the third and deciding T20I against Australia. His innings included one four and six sixes, showcasing his ruthless hitting ability. Despite his heroics, the Proteas fell short as Australia clinched a narrow two-wicket victory, winning the three-match series 2-1.
Brevis' whirlwind knock saw him shatter a major record. He now has the record for the most sixes in T20Is versus Australia, becoming the new holder of the record of 12 sixes in 10 innings, which was held by Virat Kohli. Surprisingly, Brevis did it in only his third innings against the Aussies, with his overall tally standing at 14 sixes. His attacking batting gave South Africa a fighting total of 172/7 after they were invited to bat.
Pursuing 173, Australia were in jeopardy at 122/6, but Glenn Maxwell produced a match-winning came, hitting an unbeaten 62 from 36 deliveries. Maxwell's knock featured eight fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 172.22, taking the Aussies to victory with the second-last ball of the match. His breathtaking effort saw him receive the Player of the Match award and provide a thrilling finish in front of a sell-out crowd watching their first-ever men's T20I.
South Africa was shaky from the beginning with the skipper Aiden Markram getting out in the first over. Lhuan-dre Pretorius was the one who showed some resilience, scoring five boundaries in the Power-play, before getting out to Nathan Ellis for 24 runs. Brevis followed the game the way he played the last game, scoring a century. He ruled over the middle overs with clean striking. His ultimate dismissal to a miscuing slower ball from Ellis proved to be the turning point, since South Africa could only muster 64 runs for four wickets in the last nine overs, enabling Australia to take charge.
Australia started the series on a winning note with a 17-run victory before South Africa hit back in the second T20I with a 53-run victory. The third match was true to form, as Brevis' record-breaking rampage and Maxwell's nerve-crunching finish gave spectators an unforgettable match.
