Decorated Proteas Women all-rounder Marizanne Kapp was chuffed to earn a historic 150th cap for her country, as they gear up for the second ODI against the West Indies on Saturday.
Kapp was called up to add some experience to the young team but more especially, add her cool head into the mix.
The 35-year-old said she’s still hungry to play the game and does not have any idea as to when she is going to call it quits on the international format, which she admitted, is the highest honour as an athlete.
Of all the accolades she’s earned over the course of her career, Kapp was most proud of how far women’s cricket had developed in South Africa. She gave some indication that she would like to win a World Cup before retiring and will have an opportunity to go for glory later this year.
“When I made my debut, I just thought, I’ll give this a go, even though I’ve always loved cricket. I never thought women’s cricket would end up here, and I would still be playing, 15 – 16 years later. It’s definitely a very proud moment, and hopefully I’ve got a few more games in me.
“Definitely. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t have that hunger. I can’t do anything half and half. It’s either I go for it or I don’t do it at all. I’m proud of my career. I’m proud of what we have achieved as a South African cricket team. So I definitely still have that hunger, still want to perform at the highest level and hopefully bring home a World Cup,” Kapp said.
Kapp did not play in the first ODI at the 3w’s Oval in Barbados but will join the side for Saturday’s match where they have a chance to level the three-match series.
Although it is not desired due to the lack of ‘tournament level’ simulation, where teams travel around a country, all three games will be played in the same stadium. Kapp wasn’t against this, however, stating that it gave her a chance to rest and recover.
The Proteas women lost the first game by 4 wickets via DLS method but in actuality, didn’t look like they were going to win even without the rain.
Their batting looked solid in the first powerplay, when Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits opened the innings but the West Indies bowling attack proved too much to handle – dousing the Protea fire for 232/9 in 50 overs.
The green and gold struggled to find a workable length with the ball as well, and got hammered by the likes of Hayley Matthews [40/44] and Qiana Joseph [60/58].
Even if you look at the previous tour, we know we’ve not been at our best with the ball. We’ve been bowling a bit on both sides of the wicket, but you can always improve. We know bowling has probably been a little bit of a concern, but in saying that, the runs weren’t enough as well,” the Eastern-Cape born cricketer added.
