From the diary of a cricketer

Marizanne Kapp is a complex character. Her on-field persona – that of a typically angry, snarling, unhappy fast bowler, almost always on the verge of an outburst – is in stark contrast to the slightly shy, kind, and soft-spoken person she is off it. It is hard to believe that both are born of the same person. One has the heart, passion, protective instincts, deep knowledge and powers of Wanda Maximoff, and the other, the rage, ruthlessness and determination of the Scarlet Witch – both separated only by a “white line”. “We call it white-line fever,” Dane van Niekerk, Momentum Proteas skipper and Kapp’s wife told Scroll.in earlier this year. “People think she’s this angry person and never happy, but she smiles a lot. She’s soft-spoken and she’s got a big heart.” Years ago, whenever Kapp took the field, opposition knew she was out to destroy them. She’d stand at the top of her mark, not a hint of emotion on her face, staring down the batters, only letting out a scream of exultation when ...

Embed from Getty Images Issy Wong wasn’t meant to play. She was part of England’s Test squad against South Africa as a traveling reserve. She was meant to steam in in the nets and give England’s batters a hard time. She was meant to potentially run the drinks and soak in as much of international cricket as she could from the sidelines before she got a real go. Yet, when Emily Arlott had to be withdrawn from the squad quite late in the piece, it was Wong who got the nod to play ahead of ‘senior’ seamer Freya Davies. For a while now, there have been whispers around Wong and the energy and excitement she could bring to the England team. Her speeds were thrilling, her energy infectious, and her passion and exuberance, mixed with a sense of clarity, came as a breath of fresh air. Wong was supposed to be England’s answer to Tayla Vlaeminck and Darcie Brown – an aggressive fast bowler who would have the opposition hopping around. She was supposed to be their point of difference in what is a...