SA Women’s coach shuts down possible Van Niekerk WC inclusion, says ‘definitely not part’ of World Cup side.
SA Women’s Coach coach confirms van Niekerk ‘definitely not part’ of World Cup.
Despite coming out of retirement and being a part of a pre-tournament training camp, South Africa’s former captain, Dane van Niekerk, is “definitely not part,” of their preparations for the 2019 World Cup. Mandla Mashimbyi, the national coach, stated that van Niekerk will only be given consideration for upcoming series “when she ticks all the boxes.”
As a result, the 32-year-old van Niekerk might not be able to participate in another 50-over World Cup after missing one in 2022 while recovering from a fractured ankle. She has participated in three past editions and captained South Africa in 2017, the year they lost to England in the semi-finals.
Although she has participated in seven T20 World Cups, she was not included in the 2023 home tournament due to her inability to achieve the fitness standards set by Cricket South Africa (CSA). She declared her retirement from international cricket at that point.
After reversing her international retirement and returning to domestic competition, Van Niekerk was called up to a 20-player squad for a week-long camp in Durban before to South Africa’s World Cup squad selection. However, next week’s announcement of the final fifteen will not include her name.
“She’s just part of the bigger or broader base of players that we’re trying to bring into our environment,” Mashimbyi said. “She is definitely not part of this World Cup. She’s not going.”
Real Reason for her inclusion in the camp
So why was van Niekerk brought into a squad specifically put together, “in preparation for the upcoming Pakistan tour and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 held in India and Sri Lanka,” according to a CSA press release? To see what she needs to do in order to get back in.
“We wanted to bring her in and actually expose her to the environment so that she can understand what the expectations are,” Mashimbyi said. “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.”
CSA leaves selection to the coach and convener’s discretion but there is still an implicit understanding that fitness standards need to be at a high level and van Niekerk knows it. “I’ve seen the standards in the last two years. I’ve been in and around the team, commentating and even though I was really not involved I knew how the team was evolving when it comes to the physical sides of things,” she said. “There’s a massive difference from two years ago. The players have evolved, got stronger, smarter you can really see the work ethic around the group as well.”