Being Wanda and the Witch: the different shades of Marizanne Kapp

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 she got through their defences. There was an unmistakable intensity and focus around her that only added to her ‘angry fast bowler’ persona. She was a weapon with her target locked in; nothing or no one could distract her.

Away from the ground, in interviews and interactions with the fans and her teammates, Kapp was a different woman: quiet, kind, somewhat shy, and in the words of van Niekerk, “a real softie”.

Through much of her career, Kapp made sure that the driven, often hostile cricketer was kept at arm’s length from her softer alter-ego… But recently, it seems their lives have started to overlap, forcing the 32-year-old to find a sense of balance within her own little ‘multiverse of madness’.

Now, the smile, the warmth, and the sense of calm that define her as a person, are all becoming part of her persona as a player. Yet, none of those qualities have been able to take away from the drive, passion and single-mindedness that have been her on-field trademarks.

Where once Kapp’s sneers appeared to cover up a sense of doubt, her demeanour now conveys a deep sense of confidence. The desperation to prove a point has disappeared. Now, in the eyes of those who know her best, she seems acutely aware that she is one of the best players in the world. She has done the work, has the experience to soak up the pressure, and believes that her skill and tactical acumen will pull her through.

She is still that powerful weapon; just far more complex, confident and sophisticated than before: the Wanda Maximoff from the ‘End Game’.

Since January 2020, Kapp has statistically been the best allrounder in the ODI format with an average difference (batting average - bowling average) of 24.71, well above even the likes of Stafanie Taylor, Tahlia McGrath and van Niekerk herself. During this time, she has inspired South Africa to series wins in New Zealand and India, performed admirably in the West Indies and single-handedly taken her team over the line in several World Cup games earlier this year. In domestic leagues around the world, she has won titles with the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred in England and the Perth Scorchers in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League, also being crowned Player of the Match in both finals. She has, through this period, been at the very top of her game and even though the rankings don’t reflect it, Kapp is seen as arguably the world’s leading allrounder in women’s cricket – a title she proved worthy of during South Africa’s one-off Test against England in Bristol last month.

Walking in to bat with her team reeling at 45 for 4 on Day 1, Kapp put her head down, soaked up the pressure and went on to play a knock that put South Africa in a position of relative strength. She guided a young, inexperienced lower-order through a tricky couple of sessions when England’s bowlers were on the charge, before, in true Scarlet Witch style, unleashing the might of her power in the final session.

In the process, Kapp not only emphatically eliminated the “nightmare” of her debut Test, but also notched up her first Test century, recording the highest score by a South African and the highest score by a No.6 (or lower) in women’s Tests: a mammoth 213-ball 150. For a player who came into the match unsure of whether she should even play, Kapp showed immeasurable patience, a keen understanding of the situation and a single-mindedness to keep her team in the contest. She absorbed the ammunition that her opponents threw at her, and when they grew tired and let their guard down, she opened fire. It was a cold, calculated approach. 

Like Wanda Maximoff, Kapp is hugely protective of her friends and family... (@WandaVision/ Twitter)

With the ball too, Kapp led an under-strength attack admirably. Her trademark accuracy and swing troubled England at different times through the innings, and while she was unlucky not to pick up her maiden Test match wicket, the 32-year-old managed the bowling group brilliantly.

Often stationed at mid-on or mid-off, Kapp was constantly in the ears of the younger bowlers, making suggestions, adjusting fields or simply having a quiet word to calm their nerves and get them to focus on the job at hand: small reminders to stay patient, to stick to their plans, and to bore the batters into making a mistake. It was about doing the simple things right.

All of Nadine de Klerk, Tumi Sekhukune, Anneke Bosch and Nonkululeko Mlaba responded to their senior charge’s calls, keeping England honest through much of Day 2, before the wheels came off in the final session.

England took a 133-run lead as they declared early on Day 3, and by the time the final day came around, South Africa had their backs firmly to the wall. But somehow, they held on.

Sekhukhune showed the doggedness that Kapp had displayed through the first innings, batting for over three hours for an unconquered 33. She shared a 63-run stand with Kapp who scored 43 not out before the rain came and scuppered England’s chances of pushing for a win, allowing South Africa to steal two points from an encounter in which they looked dead and buried only a few hours before.

At the centre of it all was Marizanne Kapp – Wanda, Witch and all – able to channel the best traits from both personas.

The “white line”, it seems, no longer exists, and maybe that makes Kapp a more potent force than she was before.