'Too good to just be playing domestic cricket': Dale Steyn wants this 'young man' in South Africa team following Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal exit

South Africa have not won an ICC trophy since the inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy in 1998. The Proteas team has been given the 'chokers' tag for their result in the knockouts. The closest they got to winning in recent times was in T20 World Cup 2024 final where they lost the plot in the slog overs of run chase. In the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025, they were unbetaen at the group stage but lost comprehensively to New Zealand despite David Miller's unbeaten century. Days after the defeat, South Africa's legendary pacer Dale Steyn wants young Dewald Brevis to be a part of the squad. Steyn has been impressed with Brevis' performance in the ongoing CSA One-Day Challenge 2024-25. 

"Just watching some highlights of the domestic 1 day cup here in SA. Dewald Brevis," Steyn posted on his social media on March 11. 

"Guys, this young man is too good to just be playing domestic cricket. I’m not sure how he fits into the Proteas set up, but he deserves a mention. He CAN play!"

Brevis' numbers in ongoing tournament

Brevis is the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 362 runs from seven innings averaging 72.40, including a century and three fifties. He has scored runs at a strike rate of 157.39, far ahead of any batter with 100 or more runs in the tournament.

ALSO READ: '...everyone's waiting for you to retire': Ricky Ponting guesses the reason behind Rohit Sharma not retiring from ODIs after Champions Trophy 2025 win

Brevis' One-Day record so far

He will be seen in action when Titans take on Dolphins in the qualifier clash on March 12. So far, he has scored 1,029 runs from 23 List A appearances at an average of 49. He has three centuries and five fifties to his name in the format. He is yet to make his ODI debut. 

ALSO READ: 'To me, the ICC stands for the Indian Cricket Board': West Indies' legendary bowler Andy Roberts fumes at apex cricket council for allegedly favouring India

Brevis, the 'Baby AB'

Brevis was dubbed as 'Baby AB' for his style of batting being similar to that of legendary AB de Villiers. He made headlines when he broke Shikhar Dhawan's record for most runs in a single edition of an Under-19 ODI World Cup. 

As a result, he was roped in by Mumbai Indians (MI) to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 where he showed flashes of brilliance. He made his T20I debut in 2023 but was dropped after scoring just five runs from two matches. He was released by MI in IPL 2024 and was not picked in the IPL mega auction as well. However, he may get picked as a replacement in the IPL. 

South Africa will tour Zimbabwe for a four-T20I series in July 2025. It is yet to be seen whether the 21-year-old makes it to the squad.