Why Sacha must follow Dewald’s blueprint

IN South African sport, there is nothing we love more than a generational talent.

- JOHN GOLIATH

We crave the mavericks, the players who can turn a game on its head with a moment of magic. Currently, the two posters on the walls of every young fan in Mzansi belong to Proteas star batter Dewald Brevis and the Springboks’ mercurial flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Both Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Brevis possess an almost frightening amount of natural ability at the tender age of 23 and 22 respectively. We are certainly blessed to have these two “generational talents” burst onto the scene around the same time. But as their careers converge at a critical juncture, Feinberg-Mngomezulu would do well to take a leaf out of the young cricketer’s book.

Brevis was initially a “victim” of his own highlight reels. For the better part of two years, he was known as “Baby AB’, a moniker that seemed to demand he hit every ball for six. In his early forays into senior cricket, Brevis appeared trapped by this expectation, frequently throwing his wicket away in a cloud of dust and ambition while trying to force the spectacular.