Miane Smit admitted she had yet to fully process her maiden T20 International century, but the Proteas Women’s batter was delighted to see the hard work behind the scenes come together in emphatic fashion against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Thursday.
Smit smashed 102 off 59 balls as South Africa posted 205/4, their third-highest T20I total, before another clinical display with the ball and in the field helped secure an 80-run victory and stretch their series lead to 4-0.
Promoted to open alongside Anneke Bosch, Smit initially took her time before accelerating as the innings progressed to record her first international hundred.
“I maybe haven’t, like, taken it all in, so I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.
“It feels a bit unreal still, but it was very nice, just batting for so long. That’s something I really wanted to do, and now it just happened so easily,” Smit said.
The 23-year-old said opening the batting gave her the opportunity to play her natural game, with Bosch’s attacking approach allowing her to settle into her innings.
“Anneke’s someone who can hit boundaries from the start all over the place, where I’m a bit more specific in where I want to score boundaries,” she said.
“She really helps me to be able to bat long and sort of anchor the innings, so that we can explode.”
Smit said the early partnership also gave her a clear understanding of the conditions before she shifted through the gears.
“She took a very explosive start; I took a few balls. I mean, when she went out, sort of had the idea of conditions, knew, like, we have to, sort of, 180-plus,” she said.
“I would say that is my style of play, and it’s been something I’ve been working on lately to be an impactful T20 player.”
Her ability to remain calm was another crucial part of the performance, with Smit crediting the preparation and work done with the coaches during the off-season.
“This is probably the first international game I’ve played with a lot of calmness and peace of mind, which I think is because our preparation and plans were so good, and I had, like, trust in my technique and options,” she said.
Having already secured the series with one match remaining, Smit said the Proteas would now look to finish the job with another strong performance.
For Smit, though, Thursday’s innings was another step towards becoming the consistent international cricketer she wants to be.
“Something that I’ve always strived to be is a consistent player. So if I can be a consistent player in international cricket, that would be the best for my team,” she said.
- Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald