Tristan Stubbs lauds 'freakish' Dewald Brevis ahead T20I decider

PROTEAS batter Tristan Stubbs had a century stand for the third wicket with centurion Dewald Brevis at the Marrara Stadium in Darwin earlier this week, a partnership that saw South Africa beat Australia by 53 runs and level the three-match series 1-1.

Standing at the non-strikers' end, Stubbs had the best seat in the house to witness Brevis' record-breaking knock, one that saw the 22-year-old batter strike eight sixes and 12 fours for his unbeaten 125.

Stubbs told the media on Thursday that he was not batting with Brevis for the first time in Darwin earlier this week and that he understood that his only job was to give him the strike as he was the aggressor in their partnership.

Stubbs praised Brevis for his skill, talent and confidence, calling him a 'freak'.

"He's a freak. I was actually chatting to the umpire, I was like, we've got the best seat in the house. I had the easiest job, just get him on strike and then honestly just watch him do his thing," said Stubbs.

"I've batted with him a few times, and I really enjoy it. He really backs himself, and it's quite easy, just keep him as clear as possible, and then we do our thing around him."

The Proteas are set to play the third and final T20I match, and the decider of the series on Saturday at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns.

The series is an important stepping stone for what is a young Proteas side, given that coach Shukri Conrad and captain Aiden Markram are building a team for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

However, Stubbs emphasised that the Proteas team is not thinking too far ahead and that they are solely focused on winning the current series and taking the momentum to England, where they will play three T20Is in September.

The 25-year-old emphasised that it was important for the team to level the series so that they can be in the running to potentially win the T20I series down under.

"We are really excited (for the series decider). After the first one, it was really important to bounce back, and it sets up well for a series decider on Saturday," he said.

"For us, we're a young side, to win a series here in Australia will be really cool for us and take the momentum and go straight to England after this, so I think that's the big goal right now, to win Saturday's game."


The series decider is set to get underway at 11.15am SAST on Saturday.