Former South Africa captain and all-rounder Dane Van Niekerk, who recently came out of her retirement ahead of the Women’s World Cup 2025 slated for later this year in India and Sri Lanka has her fate sealed for the ICC event. While it was initially understood that her comeback decision was taken with the upcoming mega-event in sight, Proteas Women’s coach Mandla Mashimbyi has clarified that Van Niekerk is “definitely not part” of the plans for the World Cup.
Echoing on the same lines, Mashimbyi was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo, “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.”
The development will definitely sting the 32-year-old, especially after she was included in the pre-tournament training camp. She had announced her comeback on social media with an emotional post and also apologised to Cricket South Africa (CSA) for the manner in which she had handled her initial retirement. Notably, the Proteas cricketer last represented the Rainbow Nation back in 2021 before calling it quits in March 2023.
As for South Africa’s World Cup preparations, they will tour Pakistan for a three-match ODI series before the tournament. The Proteas begin their campaign on October 3 against England.
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Missing the World Cup in the subcontinent means that the dynamic right-hander may not get to play another 50-over World Cup. She had previously missed the 2022 edition too due to a broken ankle and was absent from the 2023 T20 WC at home for not fulfilling CSA’s fitness standards. This omission forced her decision to retire from the international game.
Prior to that, Dane Van Niekerk played in three consecutive ODI World Cups including leading the side in 2017 where South Africa suffered a semi-final loss to England.
Although she will miss the upcoming tournament from September to October, van Niekerk could be targeting a return to home soil later this year. Following the World Cup, the South Africa women are scheduled to play white-ball series across formats against Ireland and Pakistan.
