When South Africa took on Sri Lanka in the Women’s World T20 in St Lucia on Tuesday, 13 November, something happened for the first time in an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament.
South African skipper Dane van Niekerk and her teammate Marizanne Kapp became the first married couple to bat together in an ICC tournament. The couple, who got married this year in July, put up a 67-run stand for the third wicket to help South Africa win by seven wickets.
Apart from playing important knocks of 33 (Van Niekerk) and 38 (Kapp), the duo also accounted for a wicket each.
This is not the first instance of two female cricketers getting married. New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu were the first women cricketers to tie the knot.
Skipper Dane van Niekerk, a native of Pretoria, has played one Test, 98 ODIs and 70 T20Is for South Africa. In ODIs, she has 1946 runs at an average of 35.38, which includes nine half-centuries. Apart from her exploits with the bat, Niekerk also has 126 wickets in the 50-over format to her name.
Meanwhile, Kapp has played 1 Test, 96 ODIs and 67 T20Is. She has the highest score of an unbeaten 102 in the 50-over format and has amassed 1,626 runs at an average of 25.80.
South Africa, who are in the Group A, are third on the points table behind England and West Indies.
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