Dewald Brevis urges quick Proteas turnaround after Namibia setback in T20 Tri-Series opener

All-rounder Duan Jansen enjoyed a promisng debut for the Proteas, taking two wickets and scoring 25 not out in the 18-run defeat against Namibia in the opening T20I Tri-series match on Friday.

Dewald Brevis admitted the Proteas failed to make the most of key moments as Namibia secured an 18-run victory in their T20 International Tri-Series opener in Windhoek on Friday.

Brevis was South Africa’s standout performer with the bat, scoring 75 off 50 balls in a defiant attempt to keep the chase alive after the visitors slipped to 39/3. But the 23-year-old felt the defeat could not be attributed to one particular passage of play, admitting T20 cricket is often decided by a series of small moments.

“I think it’s hard to pinpoint. I think there’s lots of moments,” Brevis said after the match. “Fielding is a big example. You can save runs in the field, catches are important. Bowling, you can look at where it could be a bit better, reduce a bit of runs.”

Brevis also accepted responsibility for his own contribution, acknowledging that his dismissal in the 18th over effectively ended South Africa’s hopes of chasing down Namibia’s 163/9.

“For myself as well, I would have wanted to be there till the last ball or till the end and give the team a better chance,” he said.

The young batter had found himself in a difficult position after South Africa’s early wickets, but resisted the temptation to abandon his attacking approach. Instead, he focused on assessing the conditions and waiting for opportunities to put pressure back on the bowlers.

“The key was to be in the moment and to almost play the conditions,” he said. “The wicket had variation. You didn’t really need to bowl a lot of different balls. The wicket did that.”

Brevis eventually reached his half-century and continued to attack, but was bowled by Ruben Trumpelmann for 75, with South Africa ultimately finishing on 145/9.

Despite the disappointment, Brevis was encouraged by the performance of Proteas debutant Duan Jansen , who claimed 2/32 and shared the crease with him during the latter stages of the chase – contributing 25 not out.

Brevis and Jansen have known each other for a long time and played plenty of cricket together before Jansen’s international breakthrough.

“He deserves it. His path, his journey, we got to this point, so I’m very happy for him,” Brevis said. “It made me happy to see him get his first wicket and bowling out there. Even hitting those balls was nice, sharing that moment with him. It would have been nice to just walk off together.”

Brevis also made his own contribution with the ball, claiming his first T20I wicket, and was grateful to captain Bjorn Fortuin for giving him the opportunity.

With South Africa’s next match in the series against Zimbabwe on Saturday, Brevis believes there is no value in dwelling on the defeat.