Ongama Gcwabe
IN an international season that was uniquely different for South Africa Women’s most experienced active player Marizanne Kapp, one where the all-rounder hardly had the ball in hand in the green and gold, the 34-year-old still proved her worth with the bat.
It must be a shock to her system to go from often taking the new ball and batting in the top order across all formats, to hardly bowling at all during the multi-format tour of India, in which an all-rounder of her calibre would want to have an impact with both bat and ball.
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However, despite going an entire season almost as an out-and-out top-order batter for the first time in her career, Kapp’s batting performances led to her nominations in tonight’s Cricket South Africa (CSA) Awards.
The 34-year-old is nominated for the Women’s ODI Player of the Year and overall Player of the Year awards, alongside Laura Wolvaardt, who is also nominated in both categories.
Since the last SA Women’s international tour, Kapp has slowly returned to bowling through The Hundred tournament in the UK, where she represented the Oval Invincibles.
The all-rounder told Independent Newspapers that she felt no pain in her back while in the UK, a clear sign that she will be fit to bowl for South Africa in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE next month.
Given the inexperience in the Proteas Women’s pace attack, Kapp’s availability comes as a relief as South Africa look to reach the final once again this year.
“I loved The Hundred competition. I got to bowl for the first time again full-on. It was basically the first time I returned to bowl again. I definitely felt I needed that tournament. I’m a big believer that I play better cricket or perform better when I keep on competing the whole time,” said Kapp.
“I actually like coming off tournaments and then going into World Cups or coming off series and then going into World Cups. Generally, I feel so better prepared, so for me, that tournament was needed with bat and ball.”
For the first in history, SA Women go into this World Cup as one of the teams to beat having beaten England in the semi-finals of the previous edition of the showpiece event for their first-ever World Cup final experience.
Kapp says they will be under pressure in the UAE as the expectations from the fans here in South Africa have gone up a notch since last year’s appearance in the final at Newlands.
Moreover, the 34-year-old emphasised that more pressure will be coming from within the squad now that they have had a taste of a World Cup final, and also because of the deep hunger that they have to win South Africa’s first-ever ICC World Cup trophy.
“There will definitely be pressure from home,” said Kapp.
“But (there will be pressure) from ourselves as well because we know now what we’re capable of and we would obviously like to play in a World Cup final again and possibly win a World Cup final. It’s every team’s dream,” she added.
The CSA Awards ceremony will get underway at 6pm and will be aired on SuperSport.
Women’s international awards nominees
T20 player: Masabata Klass, Nadine de Klerk, Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt
ODI player: Ayabonga Khaka, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk
Player of the Year: Marizanne Kapp, Tazmin Brits, Masabata Klaas, Laura Wolvaart
Best Delivery: Marizanne Kapp to Beth Mooney; Marizanne Kapp to Phoebe Litchfield; Ayabonga Khaka to Shawal Zilfiqar; Nonkululeko Mlaba to Sidra Ameen; Masabata Klaas to Ellyse Perry