Johannesburg - Marizanne Kapp departed England to be by her brother in law’s side after an accident that left him in the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in Gqeberha it was revealed.
In a social media post, made in the early hours of Friday morning, Kapp’s wife, Dane van Niekerk, said the family had been through a difficult few weeks even before the accident, and she criticised those who had questioned Kapp’s commitment to the national team.
The star all-rounder was granted leave by the team’s management and will play no part in the T20 series against England that started on Thursday night. There is still no confirmation as to whether she will be available for the Commonwealth Games, which starts next week.
“Without trying to go into too much detail, we have been rocked with an accident and our beloved brother in law is in ICU at the moment with burns to his hands and face,” Van Niekerk wrote in her social media post.
“It has been INCREDIBLY traumatic for Marizanne’s youngest sister (his wife) and his/our whole family. People that question Marizanne’s commitment to the team, should understand that family comes first, ALWAYS.”
In a statement announcing Kapp’s return to South Africa on Thursday night, CSA said the family was going through a “trying time.”
Van Niekerk added that Kapp played through the Test and ODIs while knowing that her niece and a nephew were both very ill. “Have some empathy or just some sympathy. She/We are only human,” Van Niekerk added.
Kapp had also spoken out in the wake of Lizelle Lee’s recent shock retirement, saying she was struggling to come to terms with it, explaining that Lee was one of her closest friends.
She didn’t mention the trauma that had befallen her family, but said there were times during the ODI series when she felt like bursting into tears on the field.
The lengthy tour, in which she has shouldered a huge amount of responsibility as the team’s best player coupled with the fact that Van Niekerk, has not been around while dealing with rehabilitation from a fractured ankle, has added to the challenge.
The Proteas still have two more T20 Internationals left to play against England, before starting the Commonwealth Games on July 30.
@shockerhess