Retired South Africa Women's Cricket Captain Dane van Niekerk Reverses Decision on Retirement Prior to the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup; Get the Latest Info Here
In a surprising turn of events, former South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk has announced her return to international cricket, following her retirement in March 2023. The 29-year-old all-rounder made the announcement on social media on Monday, August 25.
Van Niekerk missed out on the home T20 World Cup in 2023 due to failing to meet Cricket South Africa's (CSA) fitness requirements. However, her recent decision to revoke her retirement has brought her back into contention for selection.
CSA has now called up van Niekerk to the national training camp, which starts on August 25 in Durban and continues through September. The camp is a crucial step for the Proteas as they prepare for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025, which is set to take place from September 30 to November 2 in Sri Lanka and India.
The 20-member South African squad for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 has not been officially announced yet, but there are no search results providing the names of the selected players. The final squads for both the Pakistan tour and the ODI World Cup will be announced in early September.
Notably, some players will not be participating in the national training camp due to their involvement in The Hundred, a professional cricket league in England. Laura Wolvaardt, Chloe Tryon, and Marizanne Kapp are among those who will be absent.
Dane van Niekerk has been playing domestically for Western Province and has expressed her hope to represent South Africa again in international cricket. The all-rounder has played a total of 194 matches for South Africa, scoring 4074 runs and taking 204 wickets. She led South Africa in 50 ODIs and 30 T20Is.
Sune Luus took over captaincy for the T20 World Cup in 2023 when Dane van Niekerk retired. Luyanda Nzuza, an uncapped all-rounder, has been called up to the national training camp as a new addition to the team.
Van Niekerk has apologized to Cricket South Africa for the handling of her retirement and is eager to make amends by contributing to the team's success in upcoming tournaments. The South African team will travel to Pakistan for a three-match ODI series starting on September 16, providing an opportunity for van Niekerk to showcase her skills on the international stage once again.
