Marizanne Kapp couldn’t hold back her tears of joy as South Africa secured a spot in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup on October 29. The Proteas outclassed England by a significant 125-run margin to reach their first-ever 50-over tournament final.
With the final wicket falling, Kapp, a 35-year-old cricketing legend, shed tears of relief. She played a pivotal role in guiding her team to the tournament final by taking an impressive 5 wickets for only 20 runs. Kapp made an early impact by claiming 2 wickets in the opening over, disrupting England’s pursuit of 320 runs.
Following her spell, Kapp had to briefly leave the field due to a hamstring issue but returned strongly to capture three more wickets later in the match, leaving England struggling at 144/7 in the 31st over. The challenging weather conditions took a toll on her, forcing her to take breaks to recover.
Emotions ran high as Kapp walked out of the South African dressing room, tears of joy streaming down her face after the final wicket fell in the 43rd over. The contrast with the 2017 semi-final loss to England, where she was left in tears, must have been on her mind.
In the past, Kapp had faced disappointment in 2017, failing to lead South Africa to the World Cup final despite being at her peak. Fast forward to Wednesday, South Africa exorcised their past demons with a stellar performance in both batting and bowling.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt led the charge with a magnificent innings, scoring 169 runs to propel the Proteas to a formidable total of 319 runs. Later, Kapp’s brilliant 5-wicket haul sealed the victory, propelling South Africa into their first-ever tournament final.