News South Africa Women’s latest victory kept the momentum rolling, yet even in the glow of a 312-for-9 – rattled up in just 40 overs – Marizanne Kapp found room for a little nit-picking.
South Africa’s campaign has flipped dramatically since that opening-day 69 all out against England. Five successive wins, four settled early, have pushed them into the semi-finals with a match to spare. Tuesday’s rain-shortened contest in Colombo was the best of the lot: a World Cup-record total for the side and the highest score at Khettarama this tournament by some distance.
“We were very disappointed with that performance against England,” Kapp admitted afterwards. “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.”
Laura Wolvaardt led the surge with 90 from 82 balls, Sune Luus added 61, and Kapp herself hammered 68 not out from only 43. The late-innings fireworks belonged to Nadine de Klerk, who crunched 41 off 16 – picking up where she left off after unbeaten knocks of 84 against India and 37 versus Bangladesh.
“The beauty of this team is that we’ve not relied on one person. More people are starting to click and put in performances,” Kapp noted, and the scorecard backed her up.
South Africa are therefore guaranteed at least third place on the table, though Australia lurk in the final group fixture. That contest, Kapp believes, will expose any lingering rough edges – especially with the ball.
“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.”
Bowling, for the moment, has travelled under the radar thanks to the runs. Against Pakistan the seamers struck early but also sprayed a handful; a heavier-scoring opponent might have made them pay. With knock-out cricket one poor spell away, Kapp wants those gaps closed. “But in general we’re happy with where we are at the moment.”
De Klerk’s rise offers extra cushion. Two years ago she was pencilled in primarily as a seam option; now she is finishing innings with the bat. “We’ve always known Nadine’s very talented,” Kapp said. “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.”
South Africa’s challenge is clear: maintain the fearless batting, polish the bowling, and keep the wins coming. They look serious contenders again – as long as they heed Kapp’s gentle warning to tighten up just that “little bit”.
