Dané van Niekerk hints at retirement from all international cricket

According to a message by her wife as well as by her Women’s Indian Premier League team, former Proteas captain Dané van Niekerk has quit all forms of international cricket.

Van Niekerk is currently playing in the WPL in India for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. She, however, has yet to play in a game with RCB losing four games in a row.

On Saturday morning, Van Niekerk’s wife, fellow cricketer Marizanne Kapp, tweeted “End of an era” with a broken heart and smiley face.

Van Niekerk responded to the tweet by posting hearts, with the words, “What an era”.

Later several news organisations and cricket followers hinted that Van Niekerk had called it quits.

Van Niekerk was controversially left out of the Proteas Women’s team for the recent T20 World Cup in South Africa, because she failed to run a time trial under a certain time. South Africa reached the final before losing to Australia.

According to espncricinfo, Van Niekerk was to make an official announcement later Saturday or Sunday.

According to the website, Van Niekerk, one of the greatest women’s players, said in an Instagram post:

“You have to accept that some chapters in our lives have to close without closures. There is no point in losing yourself by trying to fix what’s meant to stay broken.”

Career

Van Niekerk made her international debut in 2009 and represented the Women’s Proteas in 107 ODIs. She scored 2,175 runs and took 138 wickets.

In 86 T20s, she scored 1,877 runs and claimed 65 wickets.

She featured in 50-overs World Cup squads in 2009, 2013, 2017 and also featured at T20 World Cups in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.