I'm quite nervous to bowl to Smriti Mandhana: Marizanne Kapp

Most people have taken to sharing their culinary skills or the fact that they miss well-decorated and a variety of tasty food on social media during this lockdown. But Dane van Niekerk, South Africa’s captain, hasn’t yet managed to get Marizanne Kapp, her wife, to start cooking yet.



“I wish I could say Marizanne started cooking, but that didn’t happen,” she said during a teleconference on Thursday (April 23), when asked if the couple had done something new during the lockdown.



“Being a DIY (do it yourself) person, I have learnt to plaster walls and stuff. We are just trying to train as hard as possible. We have got some gym equipment to try and stay fit and strong.”



Being one of the fitter players around the globe, Kapp couldn't agree more. “We've been working hard, almost as hard as training in cricket,” she said.



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“We were lucky because as soon as we knew that the lockdown was going to happen, I ordered some gym equipment and we’ve always had an idea to change our room downstairs into a small gym. Luckily, we did that. (We’re) still trying to bother some people to get a treadmill but the rest of the things are sorted and we’re training hard.”



The allrounder has played over a hundred ODIs and 78 T20Is, but admittedly, she still is nervous when she runs in to bowl to India’s Smriti Mandhana. “In one of my first (few) T20Is I bowled at her and I went for the highest I went for in any T20 cricket,” she said.



“In the next game I had to study her a bit about where I can get her out. From then I’m always quite nervous to bowl at her, to be honest, because she picks up length so well. She is a brilliant batter.”



Marizanne Kapp celebrates a wicket with her team-mates. © ICC



South Africa made it to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2020, which was after six long years. Van Niekerk revealed that the current set of players underwent a lot of hard-work to bring about the success.



“For two years we worked hard on the game-plan,” said van Niekerk, who had also led South Africa to the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup in 2017.



“We were disappointed about how we went about with our work. For two years we worked really hard and tried to get players to work on different aspects of their game and everybody did that really well and that was the exciting part in this World Cup. It was a tough two years, but everybody could see the hard work put in and I can put my head on a rock and say I have never seen my team work as hard as they did in these last two years. It’s becoming a habit for the team and a lot of special things are waiting for this team.”



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The pandemic has made people avoid time outdoors, confining them to their homes without much physical activity. It is even tougher on althetes, given the rigorous training and fitness sessions they are used to. Although Kapp is annoyed with the lockdown, she isn’t complaining much.



“To be honest, my body has taken a beating in the last three to four years. I’ve played all the series, in the Super League and in the WBBL in Australia,” she stated.



“Even though I didn’t want this break, it is a good break for me and I’ll go into the next half of the season a bit fresh. Yes, it’s a bit of a worry. We’ll see how much time we have before we have another series, because again being an allrounder it’s quite tough to come back after such a long layoff. Hopefully we can start off with some type of cricket training in the yard.”



For starters, Kapp is hopeful that she stays at a 100% like she is now, unlike before and during the T20 World Cup, when she missed games due to sickness.



“I was quite a bit sick for two-three weeks when I got home. But I’m finally 100% now and am training hard,” she said. “It’s something I’m going have to look at. I spoke to our team doctor, because I seemed to get sick literally every three weeks. It’s something I’ll keep an eye on. I’m very annoyed that I missed the semi-final and the amount of games in New Zealand as well. Hopefully from hereon that won’t happen again.”



Nadine de Klerk celebrates a wicket with her teammates. © ICC



Van Niekerk, however, said that looking at the team’s composition and performances, they’d make the semis regularly, enough for Kapp to play in one in the future. She also admitted to being conflicted and being at crossroads regarding the call to play Kapp in the semi-final against Australia.



“It was a very difficult decision. I was sitting with Hilton (Moreeng, head coach) before the game. We had a lot of time with the rain to make the decision,” she revealed.



“But ultimately, Hilton is a family guy. I just said to him, it’s difficult for me. I’m conflicted there. The way she looked, it would have been wrong for us to push her play the game. Yes, it’s a semi-final and is very important but with the team like ours, I’m sure we’re getting to more semi-finals and I’m sure she’ll have a shot at playing another one.”



While Kapp was ruled out of that clash, Nadine de Klerk stepped up and starred with the ball, picking up 3/19. The captain was, expectedly, delighted to see her fill in the premier allrounder’s boots. “Nadine de Klerk came in and did exceptionally well. I couldn’t have asked for more from her. It was really an amazing replacement to have.”



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What makes the South African side one of the interesting ones to follow is the fact that both van Niekerk and Kapp, a married couple, turn for the side and go about managing themselves professionally. Van Niekerk is conscious about not letting the guard down, when it comes to treating her partner on par with others in the side.



“She says I’m tougher on her than anyone else in the team. We’re just trying to set the precedent that when we’re around the team and are training and playing, it’s strictly a professional relationship and anything personal goes off the window,” van Niekerk reckoned.



“We try and manage it as much as possible. Obviously, we’ve had our fights on the field like anyone else but I think I am a bit more tough on her because I want to show that there’s no favouritism, there’s no ‘she gets to bowl while somebody doesn’t’ thing. At the end of the day we’re there to play cricket and represent our country and do a job. We need to be professional about it. Hopefully I have managed it well enough.”