Women's T20 World Cup 2026: 'Wolfie's always a banker' - Marizanne Kapp wants batters to support talismanic captain

South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has talked highly of captain Laura Wolvaardt ahead of the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup. The Proteas come into the tournament as one of the favourites for the title following their recent success under the 27-year-old's leadership.

Wolvaardt enters the T20 World Cup on the back of some stellar performances with the bat. The South Africa captain ended the five-game T20I series against India as the leading run-scorer, having scored 330 runs at a strike-rate of 168.36, whilst averaging 82.50. This included hitting 115 off just 53 balls to help her side chase down 193 with more than three overs to spare. She also scored an unbeaten 92 in the last T20I, helping her team clinch the series 4-1.

Kapp is confident that Wolvaardt will carry her outstanding form into the showpiece tournament. However, she has also urged both talented batters in the squad to step up and take some burden off their talismanic captain. These include the likes of Sune Luus and Tazmin Brits, along with Kapp herself, who is also a handy lower-order batter.

“Look, Wolfie's always a banker. She performs, especially on the big stage, so we know we can get runs from her. I would still like the team as a whole to chip in probably a little bit more. Even though it's not always that easy in T20 cricket, it's great to have a leader who leads that way," Marizanne Kapp was quoted as saying on IOL.

South Africa have been on the rise in recent times, but that elusive ICC trophy still remains out of their grasp. The Proteas finished as runners-up in the last two Women's T20 World Cups, losing to Australia and New Zealand in the final. They also reached the final of the 2025 Women's World Cup (WODI), where they lost to hosts India despite Wolvaardt's century in the showpiece game in Navi Mumbai.

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