Momentum Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp described her sensational hundred on the opening day of the one-off Test against England at Taunton on Monday as a highlight of her cricketing career.
Playing in just her second Test, the 32-year-old put on a fine display of middle-order batting to record a career-best 150 runs in a 213-ball innings which included 26 boundaries.
Walking to the middle with the SA Women in a spot of bother at 45 for four, Kapp played the innings her side desperately needed as she went about her work with diligence and precision to see them post 284.
Her knock meant that she became only the second South African woman to score a Test century since readmission, while also producing the highest individual score in Proteas Women’s Test history
Kapp showed her leadership qualities, sharing valuable partnerships with Anneke Bosch [72], Sinalo Jafta [25] and Tumi Sekhukhune [49].
Speaking after the day’s play, Kapp said: “I think [the innings] would be right up there.
“It was a special moment today.
“I still have to reflect on it but it is definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Kapp said batting with the lower order had helped improve her own performance.
“I think it actually helps me a lot more than it helps them.
“If I focus on the other batter, it takes the pressure off me, and that is what happened during the World Cup as well,” she said.
“I feel like when I give [my teammates] advice it helps me to forget the situation we are in and it helps me focus a bit more.
“I just told them to stay in as long as possible because I knew that the older the ball got, I could then take the England bowlers on a bit more.
“I knew they were tired as well.
“Being a bowler, I knew that last session would be tough, so I just tried to help them through it, give advice where I could and I think they did brilliantly.”
A predominantly limited-overs cricketer, Kapp said it was a bit of a mind-shift coming into the longer format of the game.
“I am the batter who tends to be a bit slower [in scoring] and I take my time.
“I have been working really hard on my white-ball game, so when I played the warm-up game the other day, I was like, I shouldn’t be playing Test matches, because I was playing like it was a T20.
“I think if you take it ball by ball, and forget the colour of the ball, it does help a lot in that regard,” she said.
The SA veteran says more Test matches should be played as this would aid in the growth of the women’s game.
“I definitely feel that if we want more growth in women’s cricket, it is needed.
“It is a place where you can try things and learn so much about yourself, so I would like to see more Tests being played in women’s cricket,” Kapp said.
Test century a career highlight — Kapp
Proteas Women all-rounder scores 150 off 213 balls against England
Image: GETTY IMAGES
Momentum Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp described her sensational hundred on the opening day of the one-off Test against England at Taunton on Monday as a highlight of her cricketing career.
Playing in just her second Test, the 32-year-old put on a fine display of middle-order batting to record a career-best 150 runs in a 213-ball innings which included 26 boundaries.
Walking to the middle with the SA Women in a spot of bother at 45 for four, Kapp played the innings her side desperately needed as she went about her work with diligence and precision to see them post 284.
Her knock meant that she became only the second South African woman to score a Test century since readmission, while also producing the highest individual score in Proteas Women’s Test history
Kapp showed her leadership qualities, sharing valuable partnerships with Anneke Bosch [72], Sinalo Jafta [25] and Tumi Sekhukhune [49].
Speaking after the day’s play, Kapp said: “I think [the innings] would be right up there.
“It was a special moment today.
“I still have to reflect on it but it is definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Kapp said batting with the lower order had helped improve her own performance.
“I think it actually helps me a lot more than it helps them.
“If I focus on the other batter, it takes the pressure off me, and that is what happened during the World Cup as well,” she said.
“I feel like when I give [my teammates] advice it helps me to forget the situation we are in and it helps me focus a bit more.
“I just told them to stay in as long as possible because I knew that the older the ball got, I could then take the England bowlers on a bit more.
“I knew they were tired as well.
“Being a bowler, I knew that last session would be tough, so I just tried to help them through it, give advice where I could and I think they did brilliantly.”
A predominantly limited-overs cricketer, Kapp said it was a bit of a mind-shift coming into the longer format of the game.
“I am the batter who tends to be a bit slower [in scoring] and I take my time.
“I have been working really hard on my white-ball game, so when I played the warm-up game the other day, I was like, I shouldn’t be playing Test matches, because I was playing like it was a T20.
“I think if you take it ball by ball, and forget the colour of the ball, it does help a lot in that regard,” she said.
The SA veteran says more Test matches should be played as this would aid in the growth of the women’s game.
“I definitely feel that if we want more growth in women’s cricket, it is needed.
“It is a place where you can try things and learn so much about yourself, so I would like to see more Tests being played in women’s cricket,” Kapp said.
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