South Africa have given Marizanne Kapp “compassionate leave” after her wife Dane van Niekerk was left out of the country’s Women’s T20 World Cup squad.
Van Niekerk was omitted for February’s tournament, which South Africa is hosting, as she failed “to meet the minimum criteria for fitness”.
Kapp will miss the final T20 of a triangular series against India.
“Emotional couple of days, I am a wife FIRST and then a cricketer,” Kapp said on Twitter.
“Thank you CSA [Cricket South Africa] for affording me the opportunity to be home to support my wife and see the family, as I mentally refresh and prepare for the T20 World Cup. It has always been my biggest honour to represent my country.”
South Africa coach Hilton Moreeng said: “The leave was granted so she can come back ready to play. She is part of the World Cup [and] she is committed to the World Cup cause.
“She needed a break for compassionate leave and it was granted to her because we felt we are very happy with the form she is in, as far as her skills are considered.”
Cricket South Africa said all-rounder Van Niekerk did not achieve the required time for a two-kilometre run.
She posted a message on social media to say that she was “absolutely broken” after her omission.
Kapp, 33, and Van Niekerk, 29, made their international debuts together during the 2009 ICC Women’s World Cup.
They are both set to feature in the auction for the Women’s Indian Premier League (WPL), which is expected to take place at the beginning of February.
‘South Africa are a worse team without her’
England bowler Kate Cross, who is part of their 15-player squad for the World Cup, and former spinner Alex Hartley discussed the issue on the latest No Balls podcast.
Hartley, who was part of the 2017 World Cup-winning squad, said South Africa “are a worse team without her”.
She added: “Whether she’s fit or not she’s a very, very good player and I just think if you want to win the World Cup you want to support your players and put out the best XI.”
Cross said: “Women in general find it harder to keep fitness levels than men do, we would have to keep ticking over a lot more than men do because that’s just how it works in our anatomy. We’ve got it harder and that’s not an excuse. We lose fitness quicker.”
She also said if she went through a similar issue she would not want people to find out about the specifics in the media, and said fitness targets “are a fine line” and the “two-kilometre is quite unrealistic in cricket because you don’t run for more than 15 seconds”.
“That’s probably your very baseline fitness which I fully believe you have to have,” said Cross
“If it affects your injuries which then affects the team then it becomes an issue and that’s where fitness needs to be tailored to the individual.
“I also think that cricket fitness, like fit for purpose in cricket, looks very different to being fit.
“When I’m at my best cricket wise, I’m bowling fit and can bowl 12 overs on the bounce, but if I did a two-kilometre run it probably won’t be my best.
“There’s that fine balance between the skill and are you fit for purpose for that team and if you can do that role.”
