Top-order batter Tazmin Brits says she hasn’t done much to catapult herself into the incredible form she has displayed in recent months, though she has made some changes to her approach.
Brits made 101 runs on Monday – her fourth century in her last five ODI matches – to play a key role in South Africa’s six-wicket victory over New Zealand in their second match of the Women’s Cricket World Cup in Indore.
Asked afterwards what she had been ‘eating or doing differently’, Brits responded tongue in cheek: ‘Maybe (eating) koeksisters.”
She continued: “I haven’t done anything really different. I’ve just tried to expand my shot selection a bit more and I’ve been working very hard on that.”
Brits felt ‘naar’
With the Proteas having lost their opening game three days earlier against England in Guwahati, where Brits made five runs as the entire batting order crumbled, the opener admitted she had been badly affected by the 10-wicket hiding after the Proteas were bowled out for just 69 runs.
Along with the rest of the national squad, however, Brits picked herself up and shrugged off the loss, bouncing back in superb fashion against the Kiwis.
After bowling out their opposition for 231, led by spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba who took 4/44, Brits and Sune Luus (83 not out) carried them to a convincing victory with more than nine overs to spare.
Their all-round effort was a massive improvement on their shock loss in their tournament opener, as they got their campaign back on track.
“It (the defeat to England) didn’t sit well with me,” Brits said.
“I was actually very naar (nauseous) and didn’t even want to eat that night. I overthought the process completely but we put that in the past as quickly as possible and said ‘we’ve got to move on’.”
Credit to bowling attack
She admitted the Proteas bowlers had got more out of the wicket than New Zealand did on Monday, but Brits lauded the SA team’s attack for setting up the win.
“I think the pitch was a bit more tacky (in the first innings) but I think our bowlers executed very well,” she said.
“I think they bowled great lines and lengths and they put the pressure on.”
South Africa will face hosts India in their third league stage match of the Women’s Cricket World Cup in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
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