Former South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk set to announce retirement from international cricket
Mar 11, 2023
Johannesburg [South Africa], March 11 : Former South African captain and all-rounder Dane van Niekerk is likely to announce her retirement from international cricket, reported ESPNCricinfo on Saturday.
The all-rounder is currently in India, playing in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
"You have to accept that some chapters in our lives have to close without closures," van Niekerk posted on her Instagram account on Saturday as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, without directly announcing her retirement.
"There is no point in trying to fix what's already broken," added van Niekerk.
Cricket South Africa (CSA), set to announce national women's contracts later this month, is unaware of the situation. van Niekerk was contracted last year, though an ankle injury in January kept her away from the national side. There is no clarity if she will be offered a contract this year. CSA has confirmed Sune Luus as the side's permanent skipper after a runners-up finish in ICC Women's T20 World Cup at home this year.
Her decision to retire comes a month and a half after her controversial exclusion from the T20 WC side, due to her failure to pass the fitness test by 18 seconds. Luus led the side in her absence and took them to the final, where they lost to Australia.
She last played international cricket in September 2021, following which she was sidelined with a broken ankle. She was due to return during the T20I series at home against West Indies and India this year, but her comeback was delayed after she failed to meet the fitness requirements set by head coach Hilton Moreeng.
Van Niekerk has represented South Africa in 107 ODIs, scoring 2175 runs at an average of 36.25 with one ton and nine fifties and taking 138 wickets. In T20Is, she scored 1877 runs at a strike rate of 94.94 with 10 fifties and scalped 65 wickets at an economy rate of 5.45 in 86 games. She also played a Test, against India in Mysore in November 2014.
