Marizanne Kapp, the South African all-rounder, has revealed that she had decided to retire from international cricket earlier this year. However, she was persuaded to reconsider by CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe and is now grateful that she did not go through with it.
Kapp had been feeling the strain of balancing franchise cricket with her commitments to the South African team, which is undergoing a rebuilding phase. The fitness controversy surrounding her wife, Dane van Niekerk, had also taken its toll.
However, Nkwe urged Kapp to take her time and consider her decision carefully. They have since worked together to manage her workload, and Kapp is now committed to playing for South Africa for the foreseeable future.
“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, 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.”
Kapp’s decision to continue playing is a major boost for South Africa, who have lost several big names in recent years, including van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee, and Shabnim Ismail.
Kapp’s ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing a full all-round role in T20s for both her franchise sides and her country. She has committed to playing all ODIs which are part of the Women’s Championship and count towards World Cup qualification, but will miss some T20Is including November’s series against England, which overlaps with the end of the WBBL.
Kapp’s decision to sign a three-year deal with the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL was influenced by the opportunity to work with coach Jonathan Batty and play alongside Meg Lanning. She is also looking forward to having a chance to settle with one team after a difficult season with the Sydney Thunder last year.
Overall, Kapp believes that she is at the peak of her career, and her numbers support this claim. In all T20s this year, her average is 33.06 and her strike rate at 142.97, both considerably up on her career figures. In ODIs since 2023, she is averaging 62.63.
Kapp traces her success back to the Test century against England in 2022, but admits that it has been a difficult journey. “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.”
