Talismanic Marizanne Kapp happy to be spiritually connected
Marizanne Kapp, the talismanic South African fast bowler guided her side to the ICC World Cup final on Wednesday in Guwahati, with a five-wicket burst. In cricket, it is usually the batters who hog the limelight. And, so did, Laura Wolvaardt, whose 169 runs came in a staccato-like burst off 143 deliveries to flatten England in Guwahati.
To put up runs on the board is one thing. The way Marizanne Kapp. 35 years of age and easily the most seasoned bowler bowled her heart out has placed her high on charts. By also claiming 44 wickets overall in the World Cup, she has waked into the record books, ahead of Jhulan Goswami, 43 wickets.
On Thursday, Kap put out a simple post on her social media handle “All Glory Be To Christ.” Go through her posts, it is clear she is deeply spiritual and believes in Forces from above. That she has Faith in Jesus and delivered on Wednesday was worth watching.
— Marizanne Kapp (@kappie777) October 30, 2025
So, what does Belief, Faith or Spirituality have to do with high performance in any activity. It is taken for granted, someone who has prepared well for an important written exam will still go to the hall and say a quiet prayer before picking up the pen. It would be the rarest of rare, someone does not value a guiding force, since the mental game is so hard.
Truth be told, this writer is not trying to link religion to sports, but having witnessed sports at an amateur level and professional level for 39 years, it is clear even the biggest athlete is reverential. It does not matter if the marquee athlete has big bucks and bank balances, endorsements and so on. To say grounded, there is a spiritual link. Just that, in some cases, it is not publicised for various reasons.
The example of Marizanne Kapp is fresh in memory, since at this age for her to produce magic is not easy. She has immense faith and says “Jesus Is King.” Well, she is not the first big athlete to flaunt what she believes is important for her in journey as a cricketer.
Take the example of Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma, they have no qualms in posting on social media about visits to temples in various parts of India and also bowing before spiritual Gurus. This reverence is more an act of faith and wanting guidance, as high- performance sports is all about handling pressure, wanting that extra blessing to deliver. After all, for Kohli to score two ducks in Australia, recently, and then come up with a 70 plus defines his performance level. But then, Kohli does not always post on social media. It is just that media and social media laps it up when he visits temples or ‘Babas’ who have blessed him.
Long back, when Kapil Dev, of the 1983 World Cup fame would walk out to bat, his act was simple. He would walk out of the dressing room, look at the sky, as if praying to Sun God. At that time, commentators were very cautious about what they said on air. But everyone knew, looking at the sun served two purposes, adjusting to the light intensity and perhaps saying a quiet prayer.
Much later, when Mohammed Azharuddin burst onto the scene in 1985 against England at home, he had that talisman/locket dangling around his neck. Those who knew Azhar well know he was devout and would offer Namaz (prayer) regularly. As one of India’s best batsman and fielder, who went on to become captain, before the infamous match-fixing scandal broke out in 2000, Azhar was synonymous with humility.
The point is, to stay humble and rooted is important. Back to Marizanne Kapp, who has 54.3k followers on X, she knows this World Cup is important, for a final appearance is a new high for South Africa. Compare it with what the men’s cricket team has been accused of, chokers, it is important, at least the women’s side has peaked at the right time.
Likewise, If one has followed the Indian hockey team, there is that huddle in the pitch before the match starts and a loud chant “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” This is again a small prayer, that they will put in heart and soul while playing for India/Bharat. Results have been seen in the last two Olympics, where India won bronze in Tokyo and Paris 2024.
So, the next time you see any athlete do something as a mannerism or post something thanking his or her God or spiritual guide, remember, handling stress does involve spiritualism, be it inward or outward.
