CAPE TOWN: Shabnim Ismail is at one corner of the media centre at Newlands Cricket Stadium on Friday, surrounded by a bunch of journalists in a mixed-zone interaction. She is at her vibrant best, with the same energy she has whilst running in with a ball, answering every question put in front of her.
At the other corner is Marizanne Kapp, still overwhelmed by what had happened on the field — South Africa had just beaten England by six runs to enter the final of a home T20 World Cup. Her eyes are red, one could see that she is trying hard not to let the tears drip down her cheeks as she patiently tries to put her emotions into words. A few feet next to her is Ayabonga Khaka, as shy as she always is while addressing the press, speaking with a few local journalists in Afrikaans.
About 20 minutes ago, these three pacers were inconsolable on the field. Ismail was on her knees, crying her heart out when Khaka put a hand on her shoulders; there was a high-five with a beaming smile on both their faces followed by a hug. Just behind them was Kapp, on one knee, hand on the grass, letting her emotions out. As she got up and turned around, Khaka was there to hold her. They buried their faces in each other's shoulders soaking it all in.
While it is a historic moment for every South African fan, player, and administrator, for these three fast bowlers, it was even more special. For over a decade, Ismail, Kapp and Khaka had been the heart and soul of the South African bowling attack. Together, they had been a part of three World Cup semifinal heartbreaks — two ODIs and a T20 WC. Ismail and Kapp had one more in 2014 when Khaka was not a part of the squad.
They know more than anyone in the squad what it is like to come inches away from a World Cup final before falling short. And on Friday, they were not going to let that happen again. Not in front of their families in a home World Cup. In fact, just before the second innings where they were defending 164, Kapp had pleaded with Ismail that she should lead from the front with the ball. “The batting took a bit out of me and I just asked, 'please, please you lead us today,” Kapp said.
That's exactly what she came out and did. Ismail set the tone with a fiery spell as she got rid of Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey in her second over. She was steaming in, breathing fire as she has been through the World Cup. In that particular over, Ismail clocked 119, 122, 126, 120 and 125 Kmph before finishing off with a sharp bouncer to Natalie Sciver-Brunt at 128 Kmph. And she did not even know that. "No way! You guys are joking," she said when asked about the last delivery. "I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me."
Meanwhile, Khaka, who had gone for 26 runs in her first three overs, came back for her final one in the 18th over. The next two are meant to be bowled by Kapp and Ismail and everyone knows it. At that point, England were 137/4, needing 28 runs in 18 balls. Heather Knight was still there and so was Amy Jones. Khaka had a challenge in hand and she turned to Kapp for wisdom.
“She asked me what field to have for a certain better and I told her, 'You back yourself. I told her, ‘I have this feeling today you are going to be the one that's going to win it for us,” said Kapp.
Over the next six balls, Khaka would finish with three wickets for three runs. All of a sudden, England were down to 140/7. In the penultimate over, Kapp brought all her experience to the fore, leaving Ismail 12 runs to defend.
This is no new situation for the speedster. She had been there before in a World Cup semifinal. In 2017, defending three runs in the final over against the same opponent, Ismail would miss a tough return catch and England got the better of her. She knows what it feels like to be on the wrong side of the result. And this time, she was hell-bent on being on the winning side.
The roar after castling Knight’s stumps on the third ball said it all. The match was not even over, but she was on her knees already. She knew what the result was going to be and how she was going to do it. "I'm not even going to lie, I didn't even look at how much they needed. I just told myself I just wanted to defend three or four and that was my mindset," she said. And, she did deliver, taking South Africa to their first-ever ICC World Cup final across genders.
What does it mean to them?
"Myself, Aya, Shabi, we've played together for so many years… I kept on telling her (Ismail), it took us what? I've been playing for 14 years, she's been playing for 15-16 years. So, it's a lot of emotions. It's something we've been working towards for so many years and then to finally achieve it today and then for the home crowd. I mean, the crowd has been absolutely amazing wherever we played," said an emotional Kapp.
While Khaka kept it like her diplomatic self saying that confidence from senior colleagues always helps, Ismail threw some light on how they operate as a pace attack.
"We speak about the trio and we always back our skills and ability. The nice part about the three of us is that we bounce off each other’s knowledge. That is how we feed off each other and we go out there to execute. It is always nice to be the senior bowler on the team. You need to get those breakthroughs upfront and that is what is going to make everyone calm as well. It doesn’t always work out, but it is always one of us in the bowling line-up who always takes the initiative to lead the bowling attack," said Ismail.
There were other heroes on the day as well for South Africa. Whether it was Tazmin Brits, who scored a brilliant half-century before taking four catches, or Laura Wolvaardt or Nadine de Klerk, who had quietly finished her four overs for 17 runs, including the wicket of Natalie. And then there are those who brought this team where they are now — Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Dane van Niekerk and more.
"Yeah look, obviously, we miss Dane, but not only Dane, Minxy (Mignon du Preez), Lizelle, it's (these) people that's been on this journey with us to reach a World Cup final for so many years. So, it's bittersweet because we still have special people here, and for me, personally, to not have the three of them here it's obviously heartbreaking, but I am happy and I look forward to taking the field with my team on Sunday."
When South Africa take the field against Australia in a day's time, du Preez will be behind the microphone, calling what this team, her team, does on the field. Van Niekerk and Lee, thousands of miles away from home, will be cheering on the three — Ismail, Kapp and Khaka who belong to their 'golden generation' of South African cricket — as they rally the bunch of youngsters, with skipper Sune Luus, in front of a packed Newlands Stadium.
While the overwhelming emotion might not have sunk in yet, this trio knows what it is at stake. And come Sunday, they know that they have to leave all the heartbreaks of the past, the joy of Friday behind, and start fresh and do what they have been doing best together for a decade. The dream cannot get bigger than this and it is time to seize the moment and make history.