NEWS
Follow UsClose your eyes and think about a South African women’s team without Marizanne Kapp.
Do you feel there’s a huge void? That void could have nearly become a reality earlier this year when the 34-year-old was on the verge of international retirement. However, a timely intervention from Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, pulled Kapp out of that decision.
And, as they say, the rest is history, with how Kapp proved to be a vital cog in South Africa’s first ODI win against Australia earlier this year. She has also shown her ‘peak powers’ across the two white-ball formats.
"I did retire earlier this year - or asked to retire - and luckily I didn't," Kapp told ESPNcricinfo.
"I spoke to the director of cricket [Nkwe], and he actually asked me to just hang on, think it through, [and] don't make decisions too quickly, and I'm glad that I didn't go through with it because I feel like I'm at the peak of my career,” she added.
CSA have carefully managed her workload with an eye on both this year’s T20 World Cup in October and the ODI World Cup next year in India. That has, in return, allowed Kapp to be at her best, with 295 runs in WT20Is this year, which came at a strike rate of 142.5.
"The older I get, I'm getting better. So it would be a shame to have worked for all those years, and now [when] I'm at my peak, I retire from international cricket. I've loved playing in all these leagues, but playing for your country and at World Cups is a different level. CSA have been so good to me in helping manage my workload. Now I'll play for as long as I can contribute,” she added..
At 34, Kapp is still one of the top all-rounders in world cricket, scoring quick runs, darting those yorkers and bowling the in-swingers perfectly. However, South Africa have had to do without her bowling in the 50-over format, where even Kapp feels that her ‘batting is more essential’.
"They [CSA] have been so good to allow me to play in the leagues where I can. With T20, it's not too hard to manage [the workload]. But in ODI cricket, I'm not 20 anymore, and my workload has been so high with the bat that it makes it impossible to continue to bowl ten overs [in every game].
"If you look at the make-up of the South African team, we are a bit light on the batting front. So I am needed more with the bat. So the bowling will probably take a bit of a backseat just in ODIs,” she added.
Over the last two years, Kapp has been affected both physically and mentally, with a fitness controversy surrounding her wife, Dane van Niekerk, taking a massive toll on her own health. And, with the world just taking notice of her bowling, it left her in a deep state of rue.
While she has picked up 22 wickets in all T20s this year, the Port-Elizabeth-born also stacked up 529 runs with the bat. This shows how valuable and integral her batting is to any setup, with our without taking into account her lethal bowling.
"It's probably been my toughest couple of years; it's not been easy," she said.
"I've always enjoyed my batting… but [I used to] feel like the world was always so focused on my bowling and wouldn't speak about my batting, and that makes you lose confidence. When I had that big knock, it was like, 'I can do this, I don't have to prove myself', and from there on, I've had a different confidence in my own ability.”
"My faith has been a massive part of it as well, having struggled with off-field matters, everything that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent so much time in my room reconnecting with the Lord."
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