If you'd asked Dane van Niekerk, the wife, whether she thought Marizanne Kapp should have played in the T20 World Cup match against India after taking ill, her answer would have been a firm no.
"I would have pulled her out," van Niekerk told Cricinfo in Bristol, where South Africa are preparing for their fourth match of the tournament, against Netherlands. "I saw what she went through before the game. She was short of breath, she was pale and her eyes were glassy so it was a bit scary. But she's in very good hands with the team doctor and the doctor will never let her play if she can't."
If you'd asked Dane van Niekerk, the team-mate, whether she thought Marizanne Kapp should have played, you'd get a different take. "It kept us alive in the World Cup and that's a fact," van Niekerk said. "That partnership Kapp and Tazmin Brits) had to win us the game. If that partnership happened we probably wouldn't have gotten over the line. We were chasing 10s for 10 overs and it was nerve-wracking but when we chatted about it afterwards, what stood out for me was how clear she was, and how she knew exactly what they (India) were going to do. That's a different zone to get into as a cricketer. If I knew that while I was sitting there, I'd probably have been a bit more chilled but it was amazing. It was stupid, in the best way."
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In all that, it's easy to forget that van Niekerk is not just a partner or a colleague but an active player, very much part of this T20 World Cup campaign and one of South Africa's greats. She is still their joint-second leading run-scorer in T20Is (Brits equalled her in the India match) and their fifth-highest wicket-taker in the format, despite not bowling since reversing her international retirement late last year. Since comeback, she has played six T20Is, with a top score of 41.
She was included in South Africa's World Cup squad on reputation and legacy but missed the first two matches as they opted for a different combination. Finally, after a six year absence from World Cups, van Niekerk was in the starting XI for the third - a must-win game against India in Manchester. She was carded to bat at No.4 but with South Africa were 25 for 2 in the Powerplay, Kapp was sent in ahead of her. For 10 and a half overs, van Niekerk watched, with pads on, as Kapp and Brits shared a stand of 97 and broke the back of the chase.
When Brits was dismissed, Nadine de Klerk went in and she was out, it was Chloe Tryon. Was van Niekerk itching for the chance to do her bit? "I understood what coachie (Mandla Mashimbyi) was doing because he wanted those power-hitters in there," she said. "And I was very nervous, I'm not going to lie. I'm not even joking when I say I was literally shaking in my boots. It was a very interesting situation. Either you have to go in and get one or you have to go in and hit the ball for six. That made me a bit nervous because if you stuff it up there, you can make things difficult for your team so I was shaking."
In the end, van Niekerk was able to relax as Kapp and Tryon saw the chase through and that doesn't mean she wants to be a spectator throughout the campaign. Van Niekerk has had her fair share of watching South Africa from the sidelines - including live at the 2024 T20 World Cup final and 2025 ODI World Cup final - and knows the sideline view isn't always the best one. "If you're watching games then you feel helpless but if you get the opportunity to play, you can maybe make a difference," she said.
Might she get the opportunity to do that in the rest of the tournament? "We only find out the night before each game of the team but hopefully I didn't do something stupid to be dropped. Although I didn't do anything in the last game…," she said. "But the coach has his formulas and his ideas and we back that. If I get the opportunity hopefully I can actually go out and bat but if not then I'll just be there for the team as much as I can be."
Selflessness has been the mantra of this phase of van Niekerk's career and she initially went back to the domestic game to see how she could assist players coming through. Kayla Reyneke, the explosive former under-19 captain and finisher, is among those who van Niekerk has mentored but being labelled a leader in the team is something she shies away from now.
"A lot of things have changed so I just try and stay in my lane. That's the best thing I can do because I'm very emotional out there. Obviously Wolfie (Laura Wolvaardt, the captain) brings a more calm demeanour. We're like fire and ice," van Niekerk said. "If she needs me I'm always there but she's doing a great job so I think it's time for other leaders to take over - people that's going to take the team forward."
Does that mean van Niekerk's return could be short-lived? She is 33 years old and has been playing at a high level for 17 years so it would be fair to assume she is closer to the end than the beginning, but how close? "I don't know. The short-term goal was to be here and that was always a conversation I had with coach Mandla and the selectors and CSA. I'll take stock after this and just see if it's really still something I want to do," she said.
"I enjoy it a lot but a lot of things have changed. I spoke to my brother the other day and just said, 'Cricket also has given me a lot but it's taken a lot too.' It isn't only positive. I'll take some stock. I enjoy everything but it's just that this was the goal so whether I want to play the next World Cup, I don't know I have to sit with Mandla and see if I'm still in the plans before I make a decision. Mandla said he wants the healthiest me for as long as I am available. This was the goal so let's see. Maybe I wake up after the World Cup and say, 'I did it and it's done' or I wake up and say, 'I want another one'. I don't know where I'm at right now'."
Still, the desire to be part of an outfit that becomes the first South African side to win a World Cup runs strongly through van Niekerk and everyone else in the squad. One thing she knows, with or without her, this group has the potential to go the distance.
"We saw against India, it's not just Wolfie scoring runs, we rely on her to contribute obviously and we're in a better position when she does well but Taz put up her hand and Kappie almost single-handedly took that game away from India. We still have Nadine (de Klerk), Chloe (Tryon), Derksen, Sune (Luus) and we have Shabnim, who is incredible for us," van Niekerk said. "We were struggling to strike early and now we're striking regularly twice two to three wickets in the Powerplay which is what we want. I truly do believe we can win, not because I have to say it, but because if we're at our best not many teams can beat us."
South Africa have two group matches left, against Netherlands and Bangladesh, and have to win both to stand a chance of securing a semi-final spot. Even that may not be enough if India beat Australia on Sunday, and the group could then be decided on net run-rate.