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Former South Africa player Robin Peterson has backed Dewald Brevis for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India, scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19.
The former all-rounder labeled Brevis as an unparalleled talent for his match-winning knock (57 runs off 41 balls) for MI New York against Washington Freedom in the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) Eliminator as they won the game by 16 runs. The franchise later beat Seattle Orcas in the final to lift the inaugural trophy.
The statement came as Brevis is rumored to be among three reserves in the Proteas squad for the 50-over marquee tournament. Captain Temba Bavuma and coach Rob Walter are expected to finalize the squad soon.
The 44-year-old told iol.co.za:
“Can he go to the World Cup? Of course, I think he can. Guys don’t necessarily have to play a lot of cricket before going there. I mean we’re talking about a gifted cricketer who can field, can bowl leg-spin and has the power game to play spin in Indian conditions as well.”
The MI New York head coach continued:
“Dewald’s talent is unparalleled. He basically won that Eliminator (in the MLC) for us. You can now see the character is starting to develop alongside his talent. The closer those two merge, then we’re going to get a special player.”
Robin Peterson has represented South Africa in 15 Tests, 79 ODIs, and 21 T20Is, taking 137 wickets and scoring four half-centuries.
All you need to know about Dewald Brevis
Brevis, who is yet to make his debut for South Africa, amassed 165 runs in five games at an average of 41.25 in the MLC 2023. The 20-year-old previously scored 161 runs in seven games for Mumbai Indians (MI) during the 2022 campaign of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Jonnanesburg-born batter first hogged the limelight when he emerged as the highest run-scorer for South Africa in the 2021/22 Under-19 World Cup. The right-handed batter amassed 506 runs in six games, including two tons and three half-centuries.
South Africa will begin their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, October 7. The Proteas are yet to win the 50-over World Cup despite reaching the semifinals on four occasions – 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2015.
