Dane van Niekerk Proteas

Former captain Dane van Niekerk described herself as “broken” after being left out of South Africa’s squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup. Picture: Phando Jikelo African News Agency
(ANA)

Former Proteas skipper hints at retirement in Instagram post

Former Proteas skipper Dane van Niekerk looks set to announce her retirement from international cricket.

Dane van Niekerk Proteas

Former captain Dane van Niekerk described herself as “broken” after being left out of South Africa’s squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup. Picture: Phando Jikelo African News Agency
(ANA)

Former Proteas skipper Dane van Niekerk looks set to announce her retirement from international cricket.

Van Niekerk was left out of the Proteas T20 World Cup squad after failing a fitness test on the eve of the tournament.

Former Proteas skipper hints at retirement

She is currently in India taking part in the first edition of the Women’s Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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In a post shared on Saturday, Van Niekerk hinted at retirement but stopped short of making any sort of announcement.

“You have to accept that some chapters in our lives have to close without closures,” van Niekerk posted on her Instagram account. 

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“There is no point in losing yourself by trying to fix what’s meant to stay broken.”

Van Niekerk has not yet contacted CSA but it is likely that the union was not going to offer her a central contract for the upcoming year.

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She has been replaced as skipper by Sune Luus on a permanent basis and has not represented her country since breaking her ankle in January 2022.

Finding herself

Dane van Niekerk Proteas
Dane van Niekerk of the Proteas Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Ahead of The WPL she said she hoped to find herself again after the disappointment of being axed for a massive tournament.

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She told ESPN Cricinfo “I haven’t played competitive cricket for such a long time, I just want to find the Dane that I’ve lost along the way with all the ups and the downs. And there were a lot more downs than ups, so it’s about finding that Dane, finding that edge again, the fearlessness.

“When you go through these tiring times, you don’t like the game as much. As a cricketer, everyone says if you don’t enjoy it it’s probably time to call it [off]. I’m not there yet. But I want to find that love and that fun factor again, find the Dane that I missed, to be honest.”

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