Proteas batter Dewald Brevis continued his good form with a blistering unbeaten 75 as South Africa registered a convincing seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the T20I Tri-Series at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Saturday. The Proteas, who suffered a surprise defeat to hosts Namibia in their opening game, produced a clinical all-round performance to chase down Zimbabwe’s 144/8 in just 13.4 overs on the back of Brevis’ 32-ball 75*.
Prenelan Subrayen and captain Bjorn Fortuin tightened the screws in the middle overs, while debutant Eathan Bosch also chipped in with a wicket. Zimbabwe lost four wickets for just 18 runs as their innings slipped from 76/1 to 94/5. The 23-year-old, who had also scored an unbeaten 75 in South Africa’s previous match against Namibia, unleashed another spectacular display of clean hitting. He smashed seven fours and six sixes from 32 balls, reaching his half-century in just 24 balls and leaving Zimbabwe’s bowlers with few answers. By the end of the 12th over, South Africa were already 124/3.
South African pacer Duan Jansen struck first for the visitors as he dismissed Ben Curran in the sixth over. For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri and Brad Evans were the only bowlers to make inroads, picking up one wicket each. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Zimbabwe made an aggressive start, with Brian Bennett (34) and Ben Curran (24) putting the South African bowlers under pressure during the powerplay. The opening pair helped their team reach 45/0 in five overs. Brevis brought the chase to a close with a boundary in the 14th over, finishing unbeaten on 75 and being named Player of the Match.
Zimbabwe will face hosts Namibia in the next match of the tri-series on Sunday. Earlier reporting noted: Dewald Brevis produced another sensational display of power-hitting as South Africa bounced back from their opening defeat to Namibia with a seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the Namibia T20I Tri-Series in Windhoek on Saturday. The Proteas improved significantly with both ball and bat, while Brevis once again provided the standout individual performance and was named Player of the Match.
Chasing 145, South Africa reached 146/3 in 13.4 overs, with Brevis smashing an unbeaten 75 off 32 balls to take the Proteas to their first points of the tournament. Earlier reporting noted: He had scored 75 in South Africa’s opening defeat to Namibia, but this time his innings came with strong support from the top order. Graeme Cremer endured a difficult return to the side, conceding 32 runs from his two overs, while Zimbabwe struggled to contain South Africa’s aggressive approach. Earlier reporting noted: The victory was a strong response from South Africa after they had lost to Namibia by 18 runs in their opening game.
