South Africa rode on Dewald Brevis' blistering knock to thrash Zimbabwe by five wickets in the first match of the Tri-Nation series in Harare on July 14. Coming in at number five when South Africa were reeling at 38/3, Brevis played a crucial knock of quickfire 41 runs off just 17 balls riding on five sixes and one four at a strike rate of 241.17. Despite his impactful knock, he fell short of his maiden T20I half-century by nine runs, consequently missing the opportunity to surpass his idol AB de Villiers' record for the fifth-fastest fifty for South Africa in T20I cricket.
Batting first Zimbabwe managed to post 141 on the board in in their stipulated 20 overs, largely due to a fighting half-century from Sikandar Raza. South Africa made a strong start to the game, with their bowlers picking up two early wickets and restricting Zimbabwe to a modest score of just 53 runs in the first ten overs. During the middle phase of their innings, the Zimbabwean batsmen struggled to gain momentum. However, Raza provided some much-needed resistance, scoring an unbeaten 54 runs off 38 deliveries.
George Linde was the standout performer with the ball for South Africa. He bowled an exceptional spell, taking three wickets for just nine runs in his three overs, significantly hindering Zimbabwe's scoring rate and contributing to their relatively low final total. The other South African bowlers who claimed wickets were Nqabayomzi Peter (1-22), Nandre Burger (1-22), and Lungi Ngidi (1-15).
In reply, South Africa faced an early setback in their run chase. They lost debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius for a golden duck. The experienced pair of Reeza Hendricks (11) and Rassie van der Dussen (16) also departed cheaply, leaving South Africa struggling at 38 for three in just 5.4 overs.
However, Dewald Brevis took charge and guided the visiting team towards victory. He formed a crucial and explosive partnership with Rubin Hermann, adding 72 runs for the fourth wicket before Trevor Gwandu (2/15) broke the stand by dismissing Brevis. Brevis, who represents Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL, finally walked back to the hut after being dismissed for 41 runs, which included one boundary and five towering sixes. Had Brevis cracked a fifty, he would have overtaken AB de Villiers' record for the fifth-fastest T20I fifty for South Africa. Currently, Quinton de Kock holds the record for two of the five fastest T20I fifties for South Africa, achieving the milestone in 15 and 17 balls. The other players on this list are Marco Jansen (16 balls), Tristan Stubbs (19 balls), and AB de Villiers (21 balls).
South Africa will now face New Zealand in their next match which is slated to be played on July 16