Dane van Niekerk will play no part in South Africa’s eight-match women’s tour of New Zealand after straining her left calf in training. The injury, confirmed late on Monday, rules her out of all five T20Is and the three ODIs that count towards the ICC Women’s Championship.
The former captain had only just worked her way back into the national squad after reversing her 2023 retirement. “I’d love nothing more than to be out there again,” she said during the pre-tour camp, “but I understand I have to meet the same standards as everyone else.” Those standards now include a few weeks of rehab rather than overs and kilometres.
Cricket South Africa have drafted in all-rounder Anneke Bosch, whose most recent T20I was in November 2024. Bosch flew out on Tuesday and is expected to be available for the second T20I in Dunedin. “Anneke offers balance with bat and ball,” head coach Hilton Moreeng noted, adding that her fielding “gives us energy in the ring”.
Van Niekerk’s absence is doubly frustrating because her wife, Marizanne Kapp, is also missing the series while recovering from a viral illness. Together they account for more than 200 white-ball caps. Selector Clinton du Preez admitted the situation “isn’t ideal”, yet insisted the medical team had “no choice but to take the conservative option”.
Facts first
• Injury: left-calf strain, picked up during a fielding drill in Tauranga
• Replacement: Anneke Bosch (last T20I, Nov 2024)
• Fixtures: five T20Is (double-headers with men), three ODIs
• Championship points: the ODIs feed directly into the 2025–27 Women’s Championship table
Why it matters
Van Niekerk, now 33, hopes to earn a recall for next year’s T20 World Cup. She missed the 2020 and 2023 tournaments—once through injury, once after failing to complete the two-kilometre run in 9 min 30 sec. At the time she wrote on social media, “Absolutely broken,” a line that captured both her frustration and her motivation to return.
The road back
After stepping away from international cricket, she played a handful of matches in the inaugural WPL and then for Western Province in domestic one-day and T20 competitions. Those runs persuaded selectors to include her in December’s home series against Ireland, her first Proteas appearance in almost three years.
Men’s squad blow
South Africa’s men also lost a player on tour. Uncapped top-order batter Jordan Hermann pulled his hamstring during the opening T20I warm-ups and will fly home. No replacement has been announced; coach Rob Walter said the squad “will make do with the options on hand”.
What next
The women’s T20I series begins on Thursday at Eden Park, followed by ODIs in Wellington and Hamilton. Van Niekerk returns to Cape Town for treatment and, if all goes well, hopes to be fit for the home series against Sri Lanka in June. “I’ve come back once,” she reminded reporters before boarding, “so I know I can do it again.”
