Cape Town - There is no need to rush Dewald Brevis into international cricket just yet, according to Proteas white-ball captain Temba Bavuma.
Brevis is the red–hot teenage prodigy that lit up the ICC Under-19 World Cup earlier this year in the Caribbean when he broke India’s Shikhar Dhawan’s long-standing record for the most runs in the tournament.
This feat catapulted Brevis on to the global stage, thereby catching the attention of Indian Premier League scouts with the Mumbai Indians purchasing the 19-year-old for R6 Million before he had even played a single first-class game in South Africa.
Brevis’ attacking batting style, which has been moulded on former Proteas superstar AB de Villiers, quickly transformed the youngster into a cult-hero in India during the IPL with the nickname “Baby AB” fast gaining traction.
The video clip of his demolition of Punjab Kings leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for a four and four consecutive sixes also went viral on social media.
Bavuma, though, believes Brevis will benefit from playing for the Titans in South Africa’s first-class system before graduating to the next level.
“He is obviously an exciting prospect having set the world alight at Under-19 level and the bit he showed at the IPL competition. But in all fairness to him, he hasn't played a first-class game back home in South Africa,” Bavuma said.
“In terms of expectation but also allowing the boy to grow within his game, it would be fair to allow him to play a couple of first-class games where he can really get an understanding of his game. It will be a lot of pressure to throw him into the international set up and expect him to make big plays with the team.
“He is an exciting prospect and he will be treated like any other exciting young prospect that comes onto the scene. He will be looked after as well as he can. He should be given time and the space to hone his game within the system and ease into the international side of things."
The Proteas selectors have, though, picked Brevis’ Mumbai Indians teammate Tristan Stubbs for the upcoming Indian tour.
And although Stubbs never quite made the same impression in his two IPL innings, Bavuma believes that the 21-year-old has shown his worth for the Warriors in CSA’s Domestic T20 Challenge where he finished as the tournament’s second-leading run scorer with a strike-rate of 183.12.
“It's always exciting to have fresh young faces within the team. We've seen a guy like Tristan Stubbs what he’s been able to do at domestic level. We'll try to create an environment that allows them to come in, you know, feel comfortable, and express his talent. I think it's exciting times ahead in many ways,” Bavuma said.
IOL Sport