Marizanne Kapp, a pivotal player in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024, has left an indelible mark through her exceptional all-round capabilities. Notwithstanding the hurdles of health issues and injuries, Kapp has been at the forefront of her team’s journey, distinguishing herself as the joint top wicket-taker and the leading wicket extractor during the powerplays of the tournament. Her batting is not far behind in terms of excellence; over the last two years, she has averaged over 63 in ODIs and recently notched up a quickfire 48-ball 74 against Australia in a T20I.
Reflecting on her achievements and the path to recovery, Kapp shares with ESPNcricinfo, “It’s obviously good to up my team into the finals. It’s always nice contributing and taking wickets with the new ball. I feel like it’s so important in the T20 format…because the top order is so heavy with internationals, especially, and big hits. So I feel like something that’s needed in T20 cricket is wickets, early wickets.”
Adapting her training and mental preparation to the demands of continuous cricket around the year, Kapp emphasizes the need for a balance between hard work and maintaining freshness for game days. “For me, it’s actually been downscaling…I used to train so hard…when there was game day, I was just too tired to actually play. It took a lot of mental work because I’m someone that needs to bowl a certain amount of balls and need to spend a certain amount of time in the nets [batting], otherwise I don’t feel confident,” she explains to ESPNcricinfo.
In the realm of powerplays, Kapp’s strategy is straightforward yet effective, focusing on her strengths and maintaining simplicity in her approach. She tells ESPNcricinfo, “I’ve found if I just stick to what I do best I usually end up with the wickets or being quite economical…if they do those things and I stick to what I do best, usually it works out. So I just try and keep it simple, hit my hard back of a length, bowl line and length, and try and bowl as many dot balls as possible.”
Serving as a mentor to younger players in the Delhi Capitals squad, Kapp’s guidance is invaluable, emphasizing the importance of sticking to one’s plan and adjusting to match situations. “They sometimes ask if they should have bowled this ball or should have had this field and, usually, I would just tell them what I think…It’s more little things but in general the girls are quite good with their plans and what they want to do out in the middle,” Kapp notes.
As Kapp looks ahead to the T20 World Cup and her continued role in South Africa’s cricket team, her experiences and performance in international and league cricket have fortified her readiness for future challenges. She maintains a balanced perspective on her career and cricket formats, acknowledging, “I still enjoy T20 cricket as well…I feel ODI cricket brings out the skills and I feel in T20 cricket you sometimes get away with bad technique or bad bowling,” as per ESPNcricinfo.
Marizanne Kapp’s journey and insights, as chronicled by ESPNcricinfo, underscore her significant contributions to women’s cricket, highlighting her resilience, adaptability, and leadership on and off the field.
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