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Tazmin Brits, the opening batter for South Africa, is playing in the T20 World Cup for a purpose far greater than the competition: she is playing for her mother.
Zeldine, who frequently watches South Africa’s games from the sidelines, was scheduled to attend the competition in order to encourage her daughter, but she has decided not to go because she is undergoing breast cancer treatment right now.
“My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks ago, so it continues,” Brits told ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast. “Struggle never ends. But now I know how to handle it. And now I know that you’ve got to keep moving. If you stand still, the world will swallow you in. You’ve got to keep moving.”
Brits, who lost her father to COVID-19 in March 2021 and suffered major injuries in a car accident in 2011 that led her to consider suicide, is going through a difficult time now that her mother is ill. Brits was a javelin thrower at the time and was scheduled to compete in the 2012 London Olympic Games; nevertheless, the collision caused a damaged pelvis, a burst bladder, and a dislocated hip.
With the help of her family, Brits was able to return to the activity that “feeds my soul”—sport—despite being told it would take a year for her to walk properly again. She began running after seven months and worked as a waiter and grocery store.
“Let’s be honest, cricket and sports are fun, but it’s more fun when you win,” she said. “When I was playing cricket and scoring the runs, and I could see that I’m actually capable of doing this and that I can make a career out of it, I enjoyed it.
“I think that automatically made me change my whole entire mindset. If I was still playing sports and not getting anywhere, I think it would have been a difficult situation to get out of at the end of the day.”
As someone who enjoys signs and symbols, Brits has promised to get the World Cup trophy inked on her body if South Africa win, and half of it if they get to the semi-finals. “We’d better win because I can’t walk around with a half a tattoo,” she said.
One more might exist. October is not just the month when the T20 World Cup will take place, but it is also breast cancer awareness month worldwide. This year, British people will be especially mindful of the disease as their thoughts will be with their mothers. She remarked, “My mum is pretty tough.” “I think that’s where I get it from.”