Sport

Brevis leads Proteas' top five highest T20I individual scores

Ongama Gcwabe|Published

Dewald Brevis raises his bat to the heavens after reaching his maiden T20I century against Australia in Darwin on Tuesday. Picture: BackpagePix

Image: BackpagePix

The list of South Africans with centuries in the shortest format of the game recently lengthened with 22-year-old Dewald Brevis being the latest to enter the exclusive club at the Marrara Oval in Darwin earlier this week. Ongama Gcwabe looks at four other players who hit centuries in T20I cricket for South Africa.

Dewald Brevis 125 not out
Perhaps more than the skill it took for the right-handed batter to bring up the biggest individual score by a South African in T20I cricket, it was the timing of the knock that carried more significance. Brevis reached the milestone under pressure, not only because of the Proteas being 0-1 down in the series at the time, but also because he had an opportunity to cement a place in the T20I side after former middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen retired from international cricket earlier this week. Brevis knows how it is to miss an opportunity, as he missed one two years ago under former coach Rob Walter, making this knock special.

Faf du Plessis 119
There are few special stadiums in the world than a fully packed Wanderers Stadium on a Sunday afternoon for a Proteas whiteball fixture. Faf du Plessis scored his one and only T20I century on such an occasion, with the weight of the captaincy on his back. Du Plessis blasted 11 fours and five sixes on his way to scoring a 56-ball 119, the second-highest individual score by a South African to date.

Richard Levi 117 not out
Who can ever forget Richard Levi's maiden T20I century at Seddon Park in Hamilton? Levi, in his maiden tour with the national side, on the back of an impressive domestic season, blasted an unbeaten 117 off 51 deliveries, hitting five fours and 13 sixes in his innings. Apart from the pure power of the batter, what was perhaps more special about Levi's knock was that he was under a lot of pressure as he was playing his second T20I match.

Reeza Hendricks 117
Perhaps one of the most underrated batters in the modern era, Reeza Hendricks features on the list with his brilliant 117 against Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion last summer. With Pakistan having set South Africa over 200 runs to win the match with their opening batter Saim Ayub scoring nearly a century, the Proteas needed one batter to stand tall, and the stylish Hendricks took all the responsibility, hitting ten sixes and seven fours to reach his maiden T20I ton.

David Miller 106 not out
It is no surprise that South Africa's most decorated finisher features on this list with one of his T20I centuries. The left-handed batter brought up this one at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, as South Africa looked to level the series against a strong India side about three years ago. Miller finished unbeaten on 106 off 47 deliveries, a knock which saw the batter smash seven sixes and eight fours despite South Africa going on to lose the match by 16 runs.