Despite living virtually her entire life in Gqeberha, Marizanne Kapp will feel like the stranger when she walks out to face Australia in the much-anticipated ICC T20 Women’s World Cup clash at St George’s Park on Saturday evening.
She will have no first-hand knowledge about the easterly breeze that blows from the nearby ocean over the scoreboard that can assist her natural away swing from the Park Drive End.
Neither has she any recollection of the way the famous brass band acts like an extra player for the home team.
In fact, the Aussies would have greater experience having played two of their T20 World Cup matches there already prior to Saturday’s clash.
It seems all rather surreal that after playing 221 internationals, spanning 13 years, across all formats, for her country, Kapp will finally get to play in her hometown.
“I am obviously extremely excited to be playing an international at St George’s Park for the first time ever!” Kapp said on Wednesday. “It’s going to be so special, because it's going to be in front of my family, and home crowd.
“I know Gqeberha has not been blessed to have many - if any - women’s international games in the past during the 13 years that I have been playing.
“I know there have been so many young girls that have been supporting me, and the South African women’s team, and they have never been able to see us play live. That’s going to be very special.”
The emotions are certainly going to be running high on Saturday evening. And even more so as Kapp would have expected to be lining up alongside her wife Dane van Niekerk when their turn to play at St George’s Park finally arrived.
But instead Van Niekerk will be looking on from the commentators booth instead after dramatically being left out of the Proteas squad on fitness grounds.
The scene ahead of the tournament’s opening game against Sri Lanka at Newlands when the couple embraced during the warm-up was already a tear-jerker.
However, Kapp knows that all emotions need to be put aside when facing the mighty Australians, for the defending world champions are ready to pounce on any sign of weakness.
Meg Lanning’s side is a highly-skilled outfit with world-class players in every department, while they also possess a winning mentality second-to-none.
But Kapp claims the Proteas are not daunted by the task, especially as they showed great improvement in their last game against New Zealand after their tournament opening defeat to Sri Lanka at Newlands.
“It’s an extremely important game for us. Unfortunately we slipped up in that first game against Sri Lanka, and we are obviously very disappointed,” Kapp said.
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“But now we know what we have to do. It’s always tough playing against Australia, and this is no different, especially for the fact that they are playing three games here and we are only playing one, and our first game is against them.
“If we keep on believing, and every single player that walks on to that field, gives their 150%, we can’t ask for anything more.
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“I think the biggest thing for us, in both the batting and bowling, is developing partnerships. I think that’s the thing we have been lacking, particularly in the batting department.
“But I feel like the previous game was by no means our best game, but we have been improving as we go along, and we keep on improving. We should be good.”
IOL Sport