Kapp wants South Africa bowlers to bowl better despite win having her side on a roll before the semifinals.
South Africa are on a roll, but Kapp wants bowlers to ‘tighten up a little bit’.
It was reasonable to question if South Africa was a legitimate contender for the World Cup after they were thrashed for 69 by England to start the tournament. But they have run an incredible campaign since that disastrous beginning. With just one match remaining till the very last over, they have already won five straight games, four of them handily.
South Africa’s batters scored 312 for 9 in Tuesday’s rain-affected match against Pakistan, setting a new World Cup record. Furthermore, they had just 40 overs to make those runs. Additionally, by 54 runs, the 312 is the greatest total at the Khettarama this World Cup.
Marizanne Kapp, who hit 68 not out off 43 balls, said afterwards that a host of players had stepped their game up to make this turnaround happen. “We were very disappointed with that performance against England,” she said. “Luckily, we turned it around very quickly. I think that’s down to the goals we’ve had and the hard work we’ve been putting in.
“The beauty of this team is that we’ve not relied on one person. More people are starting to click and put in performances.”
During her innings, Kapp hit six fours and three sixes. Additionally, Nadine de Klerk hammered an incredible 41 off 16 balls in the end. Prior to her game-changing 84 not out off 54 balls against India, De Klerk had only managed two fifties in 43 previous innings. Before this thrilling performance in Colombo, she had previously struck 37 not out off 29 against Bangladesh.
“We’ve always known Nadine’s very talented,” said Kapp. “I’ve always rated her. I’ve always said she’s a very good batting allrounder. In the last few years, I think it’s been about the bowling, but this year her batting is really clicking.”
Even before this match, South Africa had secured a spot in the semi-finals, and they are now guaranteed to place at least third in the standings. At this point, they only have one game left to play: against the dreaded Australia team.
Kapp believes that in order to get South Africa ready for the knockout stages, the bowlers have more work to do than the batters, even after that awful start.
“The batters have been very proactive. The intent is there, as well as the scoring shots,” she said. “I think we can tighten up a little bit on the bowling side of things. Even though we’ve done well, we’ve bowled some loose deliveries.
“But in general we’re happy with where we are at the moment.”