2nd T20I: Dewald Brevis' 125 powers South Africa to series-leveling win vs Australia

Dewald Brevis lit up the Marrara Cricket Ground with a dazzling innings of 125 off just 56 balls as South Africa overwhelmed Australia by 53 runs in the second T20I, leveling the three-match series 1-1 and ending the hosts' nine-match winning streak in the format.

The 22-year-old batting sensation registered South Africa's highest individual T20I score, their second-fastest century in the format - off 41 deliveries - and became the youngest South African to make a T20I hundred. Brevis' knock, laced with 12 fours and eight sixes, powered the visitors to their highest total against Australia in T20Is, with the decider to be played in Cairns on Saturday.

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Brevis was in full flow after arriving with his side in trouble at 57 for 3 in the seventh over. Dropped on 56, he went on to dominate a 126-run stand with Tristan Stubbs, scoring 91 of those runs himself. He was particularly severe on Glenn Maxwell, taking 24 runs off one over - including three towering sixes - to accelerate from 44 to 66 in four balls. His hundred came off Ben Dwarshuis with a swivel-pull for four, and he still had time to add to his tally, finishing with 96 runs in boundaries.

Australia vs South Africa, 2nd T20I: HIGHLIGHTS

Australia's bowlers, barring Dwarshuis (4-0-24-2), suffered under Brevis' assault, with four conceding more than 11 an over. From a strong position at 179 for 3 after 16 overs, South Africa lost momentum with quick wickets - Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen and Corbin Bosch falling in the space of 13 balls - but Brevis ensured they closed on 218 for 7.

In reply, Australia never quite kept pace with the asking rate. Tim David's belligerent counterattack, which included a towering blow over the stadium roof, brought some hope at 104 for 3 in the 10th over. He reached his fifty in just 23 balls, but his dismissal to Kagiso Rabada for 51 proved pivotal. Glenn Maxwell's cameo of 16 ended quickly, while Mitchell Owen laboured to eight before being bowled.

Alex Carey chipped in with 26, but with the required rate spiraling and South Africa holding their catches, the lower order crumbled. Kwena Maphaka (3 for 57) struck early, Bosch (3 for 20) removed key middle-order batters, and Rabada applied pressure throughout as Australia were bowled out for 165 in 17.4 overs - 53 runs short.

The win was South Africa's largest margin over Australia in T20Is and their first in seven meetings, a result built on Brevis' record-breaking brilliance - an innings that will be remembered as one of the most destructive in the format.

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