Dané van Niekerk grateful for selectors’ backing despite injury

van Niekerk, who only returned to the national team last year after an international hiatus, was named as part of the 15 players to represent the country in England starting next month and expressed gratitude towards the selectors for backing her. Speaking exclusively to SABC Sport, she says she didn’t really know what to expect ahead of the announcement.

"There is never an expectation that I'm just going to make the team. Coach Mandla is quite an honest and clear communicator. From the start, when he called me I knew his intentions and what he wanted from me. I obviously needed to make sure that I ticked those boxes that he spoke about."

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The former captain was frustrated with the injury, which she says came at the wrong time when she was finding her rhythm again in the team. She added that she had the support of her wife Marizanne Kapp, with whom she trained with at home.

van Niekerk knows the feeling of not being selected for a World Cup all too well, having missed out on the T20 showpiece here at home in 2023 after failing a fitness test. 

While she admitted to some bitterness in the aftermath of the incident, she says she was hurt when they lost the final to Australia.

"We're all human, so when I was omitted there was bitterness. At no point did I wish the team would fail, but I wasn't inspired to think they're going to win a World Cup. I needed to go through a lot of emotions, and I guess it sounds a bit selfish, but being omitted wasn't easy after giving over a decade of your life to this sport and to your country, and you feel the disappointment. I love the team, and I love the environment, I just needed to go through my things as well."