Proteas' Tony de Zorzi soaks up maiden ODI century

The opening batter has enjoyed a breakthrough year in the Proteas' setup, having made his Test and One Day International debuts in the home series against West Indies in February and March, and his confidence has risen exponentially.

This was evident as he scored an unbeaten 119 off 122 balls in the comprehensive eight-wicket victory over World Cup runners-up India at St George's Park on Tuesday, which meant a lot to him personally.

"Luckily we played at St George's during that T20 competition, all the games were here, the band was here, and there was a little bit of a vibe in the domestic T20. Obviously, it is a little different when you're playing for South Africa, the [fans] go on the whole day, and everyone is behind you," shared de Zorzi. 

"It is a different feeling, taking your helmet off, having people sing your name, and you're looking towards the players' box and it's for South Africa, it's everything you never thought you'd do. So, it's special. I wasn't going to tear up, I was very excited with the full flight of emotions."

The 26-year-old has always turned to his mother as his "anchor" and, before actually speaking to her after his heroics on Tuesday, he shared what the conversation would likely be like as she looks to ensure he stays grounded.

"Well, she'll probably be in tears and then she'll want to talk about the rest of the day, how work was. She'd keep things normal. She's probably my anchor, she keeps me grounded, and won't let me get ahead of myself, which I'm grateful for," he added.

"I'll just speak her through the emotions, I'm sure she'll, hopefully, be proud. And I hope the rest of my friends and family are too." 

De Zorzi, who plies his trade domestically for Western Province, is not looking too far ahead with regards to his potential future role under Rob Walter, who will now look to build towards the 2027 50-over World Cup hosted in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.