Marizanne Kapp pulls out of England tour due to family obligations, uncertainty over her Commonwealth Games participation

South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has left the team midway in the ongoing T20I series against England owing to personal family reasons. As a result, she will miss out on the remainder of the series. Her sudden exit has also raised concerns over her participation in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will witness a women’s cricket for the first time in its history.

Kapp has been a crucial part of the South African setup for a long time now, and her absence from the combination would be a major setback for the side. It will be a double blow for the Proteas side as their pacer Tumi Sekhukhune is also set to return back home as she re-injured her groin during the ongoing tour.

“The 23-year-old Sekhukhune experienced discomfort during the warm-ups ahead of the third and final ODI against England on Monday, and after being assessed by the team’s medical staff, it was agreed she will be sent home to begin her rehabilitation. Meanwhile, star allrounder Kapp has requested to travel back home to Gqeberha to be close to her family during this trying time,” Cricket South Africa said in a statement.

Tazmin Brits, a top-order batter, has been called up to South Africa’s T20I roaster for the remaining matches against England, which comprise two T20Is- one on Saturday, June 23, in Worcester and the final game on Monday, June 25, in Derby.

CSA did not reveal much information about Kapp’s exit, but her wife, Dane van Niekerk, the South African skipper who is out of the squad due to a prolonged injury, broke the silence on her social media handle and informed about the ongoing concerns in her family. She revealed that Kapp’s sister’s husband met with a major accident that had him admitted to the ICU.

Dane van Niekerk also revealed that Kapp, while playing the one-off Test and the ODIs, had been going through a difficult phase mentally as her niece and nephew had fallen immensely sick. Van Niekerk also slammed the critics who had been questioning Kapp’s commitment to her country and the team.

Lizelle Lee’s exit brings instability in the team

The Proteas have been going through a rough phase as a team ever since their star batter Lizelle Lee announced her retirement from international cricket. She was a part of the team in the Test match but took the decision suddenly during the tour, just before the start of the ODI series. South Africa suffered a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series and also lost the first game of the T20I series.