Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has named Dewald Brevis as X-factor player for South Africa in T20 World Cup 2026.
The Proteas youngster has not made a big impact yet in the tournament, scoring only 86 runs in four group stage matches.
However, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes he can be South Africa’s X-factor. Speaking on the ICC Review, Ponting said that even though South Africa have an experienced top order, Brevis brings a different spark to the team.
He compared Brevis to his former teammate Andrew Symonds from the 2003 World Cup, saying that players like him can change a game on their own. Ponting feels that if Brevis fires in a semi final or final, he can single handedly win the match for Proteas.
” I think Brevis is a real X- factor in that side because they’ve got, you know, Rickleton, Markram, de Kock, these guys all at the top, all experienced players,” Ponting said.
“I think someone like Brevis to me looks a little bit like an Andrew Symonds was to us in the in the 2003 World Cup. If they have a day out in a or a couple of days out in a semi-final, in a final, they can be, you know, they can single-handedly win games for you. So, I’m going for him,” he added.
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Dewald Brevis has scored 576 runs for South Africa in 25 innings at an average of 25.04 and a strike rate of 163.17. His best score is 125 not out. In his short career, he has shown that he can perform in big matches.
In the SA20 2025, he scored 75 not out against Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Qualifier 1 and then made 101 in the final. Although Pretoria Capitals lost the final, Brevis was the main contributor for his team in that match.
South Africa will hope for a similar performance from him. Their top order has been scoring runs regularly, and if Brevis also performs well, it will be very difficult for any team to beat the Proteas in the Super 8 stage and beyond.
The Proteas will begin their Super 8 stage against the hosts India in Ahmedabad on February 22. They will then face West Indies on February 26, and their last match will be against Zimbabwe on March 1.
They are unbeaten in the tournament so far. They defeated Canada, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and the UAE to finish at the top of their group in the group stage. They will now hope to win the tournament, as last time they ended as runners up after losing to India in the final.
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