'The older I get, I'm getting better' - Kapp glad she was talked out of retiring

With T20I and ODI World Cups looming, her ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing full all-round role in T20s

As she is now grateful that she did n't decide to retire from international cricket because she feels at the height of her abilities, Miranne Kapp has revealed that she had done so earlier this year.

Along with the health controversy involving her husband Dane van Niekerk, the strain of juggling franchise cricket and being a crucial all-round force in a rebuilding South Africa team had nearly reached an all-time high.

However, Enoch Nkwe, the CSA's chairman of cricket, cautioned Kapp against making a quick decision. Since they have since collaborated on her load, Kapp has agreed to work with her to manage her commitment to South Africa, which includes T20I and ODI World Cups over the coming year.

" I did leave earlier this year- or asked to leave- and fortunately I did n't", Kapp told ESPNcricinfo. " I spoke to the director of cricket, and he actually asked me to just hang on, think it through, ]and ] do n't make decisions too quickly, and I'm glad that I did n't go through with it because I feel like I'm at the peak of my career.

" The older I get, I'm getting better. So it would be a shame to have worked for all those years, and now]when ] I'm at my peak, I retire from international cricket. I've loved playing in all these teams, but playing for your state and at World Cups is a different amount. CSA have been so great to me in helping maintain my task. Then I'll play for as long as I may contribute."

Had Kapp, who had produced an all-round show in South Africa's second ODI get over Australia in February, retired, it would have continued a considerable loss of great names from South Africa in recent years, including van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail.

Kapp is convinced that she will play a whole all-round role in T20s for both her company sides and her country despite being careful with her International ball task. She has committed to playing all Wickets which are part of the Women's Championship and matter towards World Cup qualification, but may lose some T20Is including November's series against England, which overlaps with the close of the WBBL, where she has signed a three-year cope with Melbourne Stars.

" They]CSA ] have been so great to allow me to play in the tournaments where I you," she said". With T20, it's not too difficult to manage]the workload]. But in ODI cricket, I'm never 20 again, and my task has been so great with the pitcher that it makes it impossible to maintain to pitcher ten overs]in every game].

" If you look at the make-up of the North American team, we are a little illumination on the batting before. Therefore, I need more right away. In OD Is, therefore, ball will likely take a seat.

Working with coach Jonathan Batty and playing alongside Meg Lanning, all three of whom are WPL members of the Delhi Capitals, were key components of Kapp's three-year cope with the Stars. The long-term provide was also important for her to had a chance to live with one team. She was chosen by Sydney Thunder as the No. in the WBBL next year. 1 review pull, after Perth Scorchers opted to keep Sophie Devine ahead of her, but endured a torrid plan, averaging 9.40 with the pitcher and taking ten innings at 37.40.

" I'm a player that's really very uncomfortable, to be honest", Kapp said. " Moving]is hard ] because I always feel like you now have to prove yourself. Then you try very hard, and things get worse and worse. Unfortunately, last year when I got to Thunder, I was ill, ]and ] missed a lot of training. And I'm the kind of player who believes that having better preparation will help me feel more confident.

" So I was small on trust. Then you are in a fresh team, so it was nothing on the team or coaching employees, they were wonderful to me. It's definitely not my strongest feature, but I'm just glad I know I'm going to Stars, and they are citizens I've worked with earlier."

" My trust has been a large portion of it as well, having struggled with off-field things, all that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent so much time in my area reconnecting with the Lord"

Marizanne Kapp

Nevertheless, though, Kapp's conviction that she is at the peak of her career is backed up by numbers, especially with the bat: in all T20s this year, her average is 33.06 and her strike rate at 142.97, both greatly up on her career figures, with Kapp saying strike rate had been a specific focus for her.

Nevertheless, in ODIs since 2023, she is averaging 62.63. She traces the victory up to the Test centuries against England in 2022, but admitted it had been a challenging trip.

" It's definitely been my toughest couple of years, it's not been simple," she said". I've always enjoyed my batting… but] I used to ] feel like the world was always so focused on my bowling and would n't speak about my batting, and that makes you lose confidence. When I had that big knock, it was like,' I can do this, I do n't have to prove myself', and from there on, I've had a different confidence in my own ability.

" My trust has been a huge part of it as well, having struggled with off-field things, all that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent a lot of time in my chamber attempting to reconnect with God.