Indore, Oct 7 (NationPress) South Africa centurion Tazmin Brits confessed that the team’s defeat in the Women’s World Cup opener 'didn’t sit well,' which ultimately fueled their impressive comeback against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium.

The Proteas experienced a batting collapse in their initial match at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, but they rebounded spectacularly, showcasing outstanding performances in both batting and bowling to achieve a six-wicket victory on Monday.

Brits was honored as the Player of the Match, scoring an impressive 101 runs off 89 balls, leading South Africa to chase down New Zealand’s target of 232 in just 40.5 overs.

This marks her fifth century this year, and she has set a record for achieving seven centuries in the fewest innings (41), eclipsing the previous record held by Australian veteran Meg Lanning.

In a post-match media session, Brits shared the adjustments she has made to enhance her performance. “Nothing very different. I’ve just tried to expand my shot selection a bit more, and I’ve been working very hard on that,” she stated.

She revealed that the loss to England served as motivation for their match against New Zealand. “(The loss) didn’t sit well with me,” she admitted. “I didn’t even want to eat that night, and I overthought the process completely. But yeah, we put that in the past as quick as possible, and we said, we’ve got to move on to the next game.”

South Africa’s batting lineup delivered a strong performance, but the bowlers also played a pivotal role, limiting New Zealand to a score lower than expected on the Indore pitch.

“I think it was a batting wicket. So, I think they were actually a bit short of runs. I definitely think maybe a 280 would have worked. I think it’s a good wicket,” Brits analyzed. “I think our bowlers executed very, very well. They bowled great line and lengths and put the pressure on.”

New Zealand’s Brooke Halliday, who scored 45 runs from 37 balls, acknowledged that her team misfired as a bowling unit. “I think we probably overpitched a little bit, which made it a little bit easy for the South Africans to actually get in – and once you get in, I found it actually got a lot easier,” she explained.

She emphasized the importance of executing length and line, particularly in the initial overs. “We’ll review today’s game and look into the next one against Bangladesh. The perks of the quick turnaround means that we can’t dwell on today too much,” she added. “But I guess the biggest thing for us is that two games down, but there are still five games to go. If we win the next five, we’re in a very good chance of making that semi-final. It’s not a great start, but it’s a long tournament to go.”