Jordan Hermann “didn’t want to give Namibia a sniff” on his way to a 150 on ODI debut, adding that he had been taught that “you don’t just get a hundred, you try to push it further and further”. Hermann batted deep for his 126-ball effort, helping South Africa to a 99-run DLS win as the two sides clashed in an ODI for the first time since 2003.

“It’s incredibly special,” Hermann said about his innings. “I’ve been taught my whole life that you don’t just get a hundred, you try to push it further and further. I think that was also what the conditions were asking, so not just get a hundred but push on a bit.

“I didn’t want to give Namibia a sniff because they’re a good team and they’d get leverage to work with [if I got out]. I was trying to kill all sense of any bad patches of play that they can capitalise on. [I’m] chuffed that I could do that and get us in a winning position.”

Tony de Zorzi made 72 and added 190 off 167 with Hermann in a match-defining partnership for the second wicket. South Africa were 275 for 3 in the 42nd over, when Hermann got out. However, at 27 for 1 in the seventh over, their partnership did not start from a point of strength. There was jeopardy but there was also calm.

Hermann also enjoyed some luck along the way. He should have been out on 30 when he was short of his ground completing a single and there was a direct hit to the non-striker’s end, but he was not given out. With no DRS, that was the chance he needed. He made the most of it, cost Namibia 120 runs and the match. His 150 was also the joint-highest score on men’s ODI debut.

“We communicated well. It was a tricky stage, I think if we lose two wickets there, that gives them a sniff,” he said. “Tony has played a lot of international cricket as well. There wasn’t any pressure to be honest. We said this is what we’re gonna do and we stuck at it.”