Former South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk, who just came out of international retirement, has been snubbed from the 15-member squad for the World Cup. South Africa will announce a strong 15-member squad, but the temptation to include star player & former captain Van Niekerk in the team was not there. Proteas head coach Mandla Mashimbyi confirmed the 32-year-old will only be considered for selection in future once she meets all fitness parameters.
Notably, Van Niekerk had earlier missed the ODI World Cup 2022 due to an ankle blow. Later, the all-rounder was also snubbed for the home 2023 ODI World Cup after failing a fitness Test set by Cricket South Africa (CSA). Following that heartbreaking omission, she announced her retirement from international cricket. However, after calling it quits, she continued to play domestic cricket with Western Province.
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The former South Africa captain reconsidered her decision and was part of the 20-player camp ahead of the Pakistan ODI series and the World Cup in India & Sri Lanka. However, Mashimbyi confirmed Van Niekerk will not be named in the 15-member squad set to be announced next week.
"She's just part of the bigger or broader base of players that we're trying to bring into our environment. She's definitely not part of this World Cup. She's not going," Mashimbyi said
Why was Dane Van Niekerk included in the camp?
The Proteas Women's head coach also went on to explain that the former skipper was called into the camp to reintroduce her to the national environment.
"We wanted to bring her in and actually expose her to the environment so that she can understand what the expectations are. Hopefully, she can carry on from here onwards and really understand how she wants to go about things. And then one day, when she gets a call up, you know, she can come in and have an impact immediately," Mashimbyi said.
CSA's strict 2Km running-time mandate, which famously ruled the former South Africa captain in 2023, has been scrapped. Selection now purely depends on the coach and convener's discretion, though fitness levels are paramount. While Van Niekerk misses out this time, she will eye to play bilateral series against Ireland & Pakistan later this year. Preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026 will also be another big goal for the player.
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While Mashimbyi highlighted Van Niekerk as an icon of the team, he said no special treatment will be given to the player. The coach stressed the importance of working hard and earning the right to be on the team through performance.
