The Proteas Women are preparing for another shot at ICC Women’s T20 World Cup glory after falling agonisingly short in 2023 and 2024. Much like their maiden final appearance three years ago in Cape Town, South Africa’s seam attack will once again be spearheaded by the world-renowned pairing of ‘Cherry & Berry’.
Who are ‘Cherry & Berry’, you ask? The nickname belongs to legendary allrounder Marizanne Kapp and the Proteas Women’s leading T20 International wicket-taker, Shabnim Ismail. After sharing the bowling duties on the world stage for 14 years between 2009 and 2023, Kapp and Ismail have reunited as the Proteas Women embark on their undeniable pursuit of a maiden World Cup title.
In the first episode of The Proteas’ Undeniable Chats, the pace duo unpack the origins of their unique nickname, explain what makes their bowling partnership so effective, and reflect on what it means to represent South Africa at yet another World Cup after all these years.
Q: First of all, who are Cherry & Berry, and where did this name come from?
Ismail: "I think I'm Cherry.
Kapp: “And I'm Berry.
“We were playing in the second year of The Hundred for Oval Invincibles. Our trainer kept coming to us, and they had the Hydro tablets. We only loved the berry and cherry flavour. After that, everyone just kept on calling us Cherry and Berry."
Q: You guys have been bowling together for South Africa for a very long time. Being reunited again after all these years, what are your feelings about opening the bowling together once more?
Ismail: It's incredible. I think our stats speak for themselves. I'm happy again to be opening the bowling with Kappie. The way we complement each other on the field, I don't think any other team, to be honest with you, has what we have."
Q: Kappie, at the start of the year, when you were ruled out for medical reasons, did you think you'd be part of this World Cup? And did you ever think Berry would be back, too?
Kapp: "No, to be honest, I was first worried just to be here. I've been nagging her for a few months or years now to come back. It's always been 'no, no'. Then, a week before it got announced, she messaged me and said, ‘I'm coming back for this World Cup.' So I was very happy."
Q: What is your most memorable game bowling with each other?
Ismail: "I think it was the West Indies game (in 2017 during the ODI World Cup). I think Kappie took four wickets that day. I was just bowling dots at the one end, and Kappie came out and cleaned up everything.
“It's not the moments. It's the way we complement each other, the way we understand each other on the field. That's one thing a lot of people wouldn't understand. A lot of people look at us and think we've got angry faces or something like that, but it's just the way we play our cricket and the way we express ourselves on the field."
Q: If this is your last chance at that moment of glory, what impact are you looking to make, and what are you looking forward to the most?
Kapp: "It's definitely not, if it's God's will. But look, I've said it so many times, you can have the best career and the best stats, but if you don't have a World Cup, it's just not the same. I think ultimately that's the main goal, to win a World Cup for South Africa. We've been so close so many times now.
“With the coach bringing Dané and Shibby (Ismail) back, thinking about that 2017 ODI World Cup we had here, it almost feels like all of us are back here again. It just feels special and like it's meant to be. Hopefully, we can go all the way."
Ismail: “I just want to contribute. I've always been a person who's about the team. So for me, it's about contributing wherever I can. Whether I'm opening the bowling or Kappie opens the bowling, it's more about going out there and doing what I do best. I don't think any words can actually describe what it would mean for us to win the World Cup.
“We've been here for so many years. We've been through ups and downs. It's been a rollercoaster. To win this World Cup would mean the world to me, and obviously to win it here as well.
Q: What does the term ‘undeniable belief' mean to you in a World Cup campaign?
Ismail: "I love the word belief, but I'm also a strong believer that what you put in behind the scenes is actually going to portray itself on the field through your execution.
“I've always been a strong believer in those things. I do believe we can win the World Cup, but it's about how we're going to do it collectively. I also say it's the team that's going to absorb the most pressure that's going to win the World Cup."
Kapp: "It's probably something along the lines of those games where it doesn't go your way, where you find yourself in deep trouble, getting back up and fighting through that. I feel like we've shown a bit of that in a few of our games over the years.
"We've gotten so much better at it when everything has gone completely wrong, and you still somehow find a way to get over the line. For me, it's more in those moments.
“Then obviously, as a Christian as well, believing that sometime it's going to come, it's going to change, even if it's not tomorrow. Just continuously trying, putting in the work, getting out of bed again and again, especially after you've failed, and rocking up and trying to be at your best."
PROTEAS’ ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 SQUAD:
Laura Wolvaardt (captain, Fidelity Titans), Tazmin Brits (DP World Lions), Nadine de Klerk (World Sports Betting Western Province), Annerie Dercksen (Garden Route Badgers), Shabnim Ismail (DP World Lions), Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions), Marizanne Kapp (World Sports Betting Western Province), Ayabonga Khaka (DP World Lions), Suné Luus (Fidelity Titans), Karabo Meso (DP World Lions), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kayla Reyneke (World Sports Betting Western Province), Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions), Chloé Tryon (DP World Lions) and Dané van Niekerk (World Sports Betting Western Province)