Follow UsTazmin Brits was all set to participate in the 2012 London Olympics before an unfortunate car accident saw her dreams shattered as she broke her pelvis, dislocated her hip and also suffered a punctured bladder.
Now, she may not be representing South Africa in Javelin Throw at the Olympics, but she has been making her country proud by notching up runs as an opening batter, and potentially play a vital role in helping her side lift their maiden World Cup title.
Recalling those days post the accident, Brits admitted that things were so bad that she even contemplated suicide. “It wasn’t easy. I actually wanted to commit suicide a few times; those thoughts did cross my mind, and I even tried,” she said in a chat with former India cricketer Anjum Chopra.
“But I had very supportive parents, especially my mother. I had to seek help to get my mind right, but it wasn’t easy. I had a lot of dips, still do sometimes, but that’s part of sport.”
She added that playing cricket was pure luck. “A guy walked in looking for women cricketers—he was the coach of North West. My friends told him I used to play cricket, and one thing led to another. That chance meeting changed everything,” she recalled.
While she tried to return to Javelin Throw, it was cricket which gave her a new lease of life. Brits is now a world record holder, having smashed five centuries in 2025 - the most by a woman cricketer in a calendar year.
Since making her debut in 2018, the 34-year-old has played 68 T20Is, 42 ODIs and one Test for the Proteas Women.