The Hundred 2023: Marizanne Kapp sees positives in draft despite Invincibles' struggles
- Published
Marizanne Kapp took 11 wickets and scored 147 runs for Oval Invincibles in the 2023 Hundred
Marizanne Kapp says the draft process for The Hundred has been positive for the women's competition, despite Oval Invincibles' group-stage exit.
Kapp, 33, starred as Invincibles won the tournament's first two editions.
But the draft aimed to spread talent across the teams more evenly, resulting in Invincibles losing star bowler Shabnim Ismail to Welsh Fire.
"For the competition it's a good thing, but it didn't quite work out for us," said South Africa all-rounder Kapp.
She joked she was "a bit annoyed" about losing Ismail, but told BBC Sport: "We made some proper signings in our first two years.
"Losing Shabnim left a big hole in our bowling attack but it has allowed some of our youngsters to step up."
Fellow South African Ismail has taken 11 wickets in seven matches for Fire, who will play Northern Superchargers in the eliminator on Saturday for a place against Southern Brave in the final the following day.
Kapp has taken the same number of wickets leading the attack for Invincibles, who finished the group stages in fifth.
"Look at the turnaround Welsh Fire have made from the draft - they probably have one of the strongest teams in the competition now," she said.
Despite the draft, which was the first women's player draft in a major UK sport, Invincibles did manage to keep the core of their winning side from 2022.
They retained the services of Kapp, her wife Dane van Niekerk, New Zealand's Suzie Bates and England's Lauren Winfield-Hill, while young seamer Ryana Macdonald-Gay also enjoyed a breakthrough season with eight wickets.
But their first game was washed out by rain, and they then lost two of their next three matches, which left them playing catch-up.
"Everything happens so quickly in this tournament and you can be out before you know it," said Kapp.
"You have to start on the front foot and unfortunately, we didn't start well and couldn't recover."
Invincibles were also dealt the blow of losing their captain Van Niekerk, who suffered a thumb injury in a victory over Manchester Originals.
All-rounder Van Niekerk's leadership played a vital role in Invincibles' debut victory in 2021 and she remained an influential figure in the side despite playing a limited role in 2022.
"As a team, we needed her," said Kapp. "She is a one-of-a-kind captain who has won us games through her tactics in the past.
"She was just getting back to her best with the bat too. We started off badly and then lost our captain and most experienced player, so it was always going to be tough to come back after that."
Kapp admits she would find it difficult to move away from Invincibles if she was picked up by another team in the draft, as she prefers the familiarity, but accepts that movement between teams is going to happen more frequently as more franchise leagues take place.
"Some players do better in that situation, like Shabnim is now having the best tournament she's ever had with Welsh Fire," said Kapp.
"I don't like change very much, it's just how I am, but it is the way the game is going and for the sport itself, it is probably better."
And Ismail's involvement for Fire ensures Kapp has a team to support in the knockout stages even if Invincibles are not there.
"When I saw her take that hat-trick [against Birmingham Phoenix], I was sad that she wasn't still on my team but I love watching her perform," said Kapp.
"She has been my opening bowling partner for so many years so I have got to back her and her team."