Aussies in awe of 'Baby AB' as focus turns to ODIs
Maxwell was the hero on Saturday night in Cairns, blasting an unbeaten 62 off 36 balls to lead Australia to a thrilling two-wicket T20 victory over South Africa with just one ball to spare.
The win secured Australia a 2-1 series victory, and they will be aiming to back it up in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting in Cairns on Tuesday.
Although Australia managed to edge South Africa in the T20s, one of the biggest talking points to come out of the series was the hot form of rising Proteas star Dewald Brevis.
The 22-year-old smacked an unbeaten 125 off 56 balls to guide South Africa to victory in game two.
And he was at it again on Saturday night, blasting 53 off 26 balls before a brilliant diving catch from Maxwell in the deep ended his innings.
At one point, Brevis smacked allrounder Aaron Hardie for four consecutive sixes, including one huge hit that bounced on top of the roof and out of the stadium.
Brevis was dubbed 'Baby AB', in reference to former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers, after taking the Under 19 Cricket World Cup by storm in 2022.
Maxwell, who has reluctantly carried the nickname 'The Big Show' throughout his career, was full of praise for Brevis.
"He's got a lot of talent," Maxwell said.
"It was hard not to see some of the highlights from when he played in the South Africa Under 19s, and all the 'Baby AB' stuff.
"It's a pretty heavy burden he had to have early in his career.
"He probably got fast tracked a little bit into the South African side. he's had to go away and work on his game and come back and he's played beautifully this series.
"His bat swing is really pure. He's hard to stop when he gets going."
Maxwell won't be there for the ODI series after announcing his retirement in that format earlier this year, but Brevis is in South Africa's squad.
Brevis has already played two Tests and 10 T20s for his country, and it will be hard to see the South African selectors not picking him in the XI for the ODI series given his blistering hot form.Glenn Maxwell knows a thing or two about the burden of nicknames, and even he's been blown away by the South African rising star dubbed 'Baby AB'.
Maxwell was the hero on Saturday night in Cairns, blasting an unbeaten 62 off 36 balls to lead Australia to a thrilling two-wicket T20 victory over South Africa with just one ball to spare.
The win secured Australia a 2-1 series victory, and they will be aiming to back it up in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting in Cairns on Tuesday.
Although Australia managed to edge South Africa in the T20s, one of the biggest talking points to come out of the series was the hot form of rising Proteas star Dewald Brevis.
The 22-year-old smacked an unbeaten 125 off 56 balls to guide South Africa to victory in game two.
And he was at it again on Saturday night, blasting 53 off 26 balls before a brilliant diving catch from Maxwell in the deep ended his innings.
At one point, Brevis smacked allrounder Aaron Hardie for four consecutive sixes, including one huge hit that bounced on top of the roof and out of the stadium.
Brevis was dubbed 'Baby AB', in reference to former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers, after taking the Under 19 Cricket World Cup by storm in 2022.
Maxwell, who has reluctantly carried the nickname 'The Big Show' throughout his career, was full of praise for Brevis.
"He's got a lot of talent," Maxwell said.
"It was hard not to see some of the highlights from when he played in the South Africa Under 19s, and all the 'Baby AB' stuff.
"It's a pretty heavy burden he had to have early in his career.
"He probably got fast tracked a little bit into the South African side. he's had to go away and work on his game and come back and he's played beautifully this series.
"His bat swing is really pure. He's hard to stop when he gets going."
Maxwell won't be there for the ODI series after announcing his retirement in that format earlier this year, but Brevis is in South Africa's squad.
Brevis has already played two Tests and 10 T20s for his country, and it will be hard to see the South African selectors not picking him in the XI for the ODI series given his blistering hot form.Glenn Maxwell knows a thing or two about the burden of nicknames, and even he's been blown away by the South African rising star dubbed 'Baby AB'.
Maxwell was the hero on Saturday night in Cairns, blasting an unbeaten 62 off 36 balls to lead Australia to a thrilling two-wicket T20 victory over South Africa with just one ball to spare.
The win secured Australia a 2-1 series victory, and they will be aiming to back it up in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting in Cairns on Tuesday.
Although Australia managed to edge South Africa in the T20s, one of the biggest talking points to come out of the series was the hot form of rising Proteas star Dewald Brevis.
The 22-year-old smacked an unbeaten 125 off 56 balls to guide South Africa to victory in game two.
And he was at it again on Saturday night, blasting 53 off 26 balls before a brilliant diving catch from Maxwell in the deep ended his innings.
At one point, Brevis smacked allrounder Aaron Hardie for four consecutive sixes, including one huge hit that bounced on top of the roof and out of the stadium.
Brevis was dubbed 'Baby AB', in reference to former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers, after taking the Under 19 Cricket World Cup by storm in 2022.
Maxwell, who has reluctantly carried the nickname 'The Big Show' throughout his career, was full of praise for Brevis.
"He's got a lot of talent," Maxwell said.
"It was hard not to see some of the highlights from when he played in the South Africa Under 19s, and all the 'Baby AB' stuff.
"It's a pretty heavy burden he had to have early in his career.
"He probably got fast tracked a little bit into the South African side. he's had to go away and work on his game and come back and he's played beautifully this series.
"His bat swing is really pure. He's hard to stop when he gets going."
Maxwell won't be there for the ODI series after announcing his retirement in that format earlier this year, but Brevis is in South Africa's squad.
Brevis has already played two Tests and 10 T20s for his country, and it will be hard to see the South African selectors not picking him in the XI for the ODI series given his blistering hot form.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Dewald and dew a potential Aussie headache in ODIs
The dew and a bloke dubbed 'Baby AB' loom as Australia's two biggest obstacles when their three-match ODI series against South Africa gets underway in Cairns on Tuesday. Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten 62 off 36 balls in the deciding game three of the T20 series helped Australia wrap up a 2-1 victory in that format on Saturday night. Maxwell hit the game-winning four with the penultimate delivery to secure the thrilling two-wicket victory in Cairns. But it wasn't the only talking point to come out of the match, with the dew and the explosive hitting from South African rising star Dewald Brevis also notable. Brevis followed up his unbeaten 125 off 56 balls in game two with a thumping 53 off 26 balls in game three, with the 22-year-old striking Aaron Hardie for four consecutive sixes. The man dubbed 'Baby AB' in reference to South African great AB de Villiers looks set to be handed his ODI debut for Tuesday's series opener to give him a chance to inflict more pain on the Aussies. The dewy outfield in Cairns also wreaked havoc - mostly for the South Africans given they had to bowl second. At the beginning of the crucial 18th over and with Australia still requiring 27 runs for victory, South African paceman Kagiso Rabada unleashed a beamer that flew more than a metre above Maxwell's head and through to the wicketkeeper without bouncing. Rabada looked at his hand in disbelief immediately after the mishap, and his subsequent free hit was struck for six by Maxwell as Australia set sail for victory. Dew was also an issue in Darwin at the start of the T20 series and it could be a factor yet again for the ODI opener at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns on Tuesday. Australia captain Mitch Marsh, who has elected to bowl first in all 20 of his coin toss wins across ODIs and T20 internationals, is aware of the dew factor. "We saw the ball get really soft in Darwin," Marsh said on Monday. "Playing with dew is not something we're used to in Australia, so that's been a challenge for us. "Hopefully there's not too much dew and it's an even ball game." Games two and three of the ODI series will be played at the recently refurbished Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Australia's most recent ODI match was their semi-final loss to India at the Champions Trophy in March. Maxwell and Steve Smith have since retired from the format, Spencer Johnson and Matt Short are currently injured, while Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sean Abbott and Tanveer Sangha haven't been selected for the upcoming ODI series. With the T20s out of the way, South Africa have welcomed in captain Temba Bavuma, veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj and recent Test triple-centurion Wiaan Mulder, as well as top-order batters Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi. Marsh is captaining the Australian side in the ODIs due to the absence of Pat Cummins, who is busy preparing for this summer's Ashes series. Despite the euphoria of the T20 series win, Australia's players have quickly reset their focus for the ODIs. "We start the series fresh, we start the series 0-0," Marsh said. "We know these shorter series it's really important to get off to a (fast) start, so hopefully that's the case tomorrow."
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Dewald and dew a potential Aussie headache in ODIs
The dew and a bloke dubbed 'Baby AB' loom as Australia's two biggest obstacles when their three-match ODI series against South Africa gets underway in Cairns on Tuesday. Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten 62 off 36 balls in the deciding game three of the T20 series helped Australia wrap up a 2-1 victory in that format on Saturday night. Maxwell hit the game-winning four with the penultimate delivery to secure the thrilling two-wicket victory in Cairns. But it wasn't the only talking point to come out of the match, with the dew and the explosive hitting from South African rising star Dewald Brevis also notable. Brevis followed up his unbeaten 125 off 56 balls in game two with a thumping 53 off 26 balls in game three, with the 22-year-old striking Aaron Hardie for four consecutive sixes. The man dubbed 'Baby AB' in reference to South African great AB de Villiers looks set to be handed his ODI debut for Tuesday's series opener to give him a chance to inflict more pain on the Aussies. The dewy outfield in Cairns also wreaked havoc - mostly for the South Africans given they had to bowl second. At the beginning of the crucial 18th over and with Australia still requiring 27 runs for victory, South African paceman Kagiso Rabada unleashed a beamer that flew more than a metre above Maxwell's head and through to the wicketkeeper without bouncing. Rabada looked at his hand in disbelief immediately after the mishap, and his subsequent free hit was struck for six by Maxwell as Australia set sail for victory. Dew was also an issue in Darwin at the start of the T20 series and it could be a factor yet again for the ODI opener at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns on Tuesday. Australia captain Mitch Marsh, who has elected to bowl first in all 20 of his coin toss wins across ODIs and T20 internationals, is aware of the dew factor. "We saw the ball get really soft in Darwin," Marsh said on Monday. "Playing with dew is not something we're used to in Australia, so that's been a challenge for us. "Hopefully there's not too much dew and it's an even ball game." Games two and three of the ODI series will be played at the recently refurbished Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Australia's most recent ODI match was their semi-final loss to India at the Champions Trophy in March. Maxwell and Steve Smith have since retired from the format, Spencer Johnson and Matt Short are currently injured, while Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sean Abbott and Tanveer Sangha haven't been selected for the upcoming ODI series. With the T20s out of the way, South Africa have welcomed in captain Temba Bavuma, veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj and recent Test triple-centurion Wiaan Mulder, as well as top-order batters Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi. Marsh is captaining the Australian side in the ODIs due to the absence of Pat Cummins, who is busy preparing for this summer's Ashes series. Despite the euphoria of the T20 series win, Australia's players have quickly reset their focus for the ODIs. "We start the series fresh, we start the series 0-0," Marsh said. "We know these shorter series it's really important to get off to a (fast) start, so hopefully that's the case tomorrow."
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Different-looking Australian batting line-up will be chasing if captain Mitch Marsh wins toss
Three key big hitters who propelled Australia to a T20 series win over South Africa have departed the Australian squad for the ODI series that begins on Tuesday, but plans won't change. Tim David and Glenn Maxwell, who won two of the three T20s off their own bats, have exited, while Mitch Owen, who was to make his ODI debut in Cairns, has been sidelined with concussion. Their all-out attacking style with the bat in the shortest of the game was evident of a bold new strategy that could take some refining with 30 extra overs to navigate as the format shifts. But captain Mitch Marsh, given the reins again in the absence of Pat Cummins, said while a 'mindset' adjustment was needed to cope with the different demands, the idea to be confident with the bat would continue. 'Getting ready to spend 3½ hours in the field will be a little bit different for a few of the boys,' Marsh said in Cairns on Monday. 'But as a group and as a whole, nothing really changes. '(There's a) bit of a mindset change, it's obviously different format, but the same stuff rolls on.' There's also no Steve Smith in the ODI line-up anymore, having, like Maxwell, retired from the 50-over format. But Marnus Labuschagne returns after his Test axing, joining Marsh, his opening partner Travis Head, white-ball revelation Cameron Green and Josh Inglis as the main men with the bat. Given his preference, Marsh said those batters would be chasing down a target after he was told he'd sent the opposition in the past 20 times he'd won the toss across T20s and ODIs. 'Every time? It's a bit of a common trend in cricket these days. You get to assess the conditions, but you also just know what you're chasing,' Marsh said. 'I'm certainly not afraid to bat first, but we have leant towards bowling first.' Without Cummins and Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood leads a bowling attack without a real strike weapon following 'wild thing' Lance Morris's withdrawal with another back issue. The ODI squad is going through a rejuvenation, but Cooper Connolly is the only real young player in the mix, with Jake Fraser-McGurk falling out of favour with selectors after failing in all recent international appearances.
