‘It had to be an internal thing - it's personal’ - Dane van Niekerk reflects on her omission from South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad

Former South African all-rounder Dane van Niekerk recently came forward to open up about her exclusion from the national squad ahead of the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup. She reflected on how her omission from South Africa’s squad for the tournament that concluded in February 2023 felt personal to her.

Van Niekerk had been a fabulous player for South Africa over the years and also got to lead the team in 80 matches throughout a career that spanned over 14 years. She has 2175 runs to her name in 107 ODI games besides amassing 1877 runs in 86 T20Is. Her repertoire with the ball made her a force to reckon with as well, as she went on to claim 138 wickets in ODI cricket and scalped 64 more in the T20I format.

Talking about her omission from the national team for the T20 World Cup, Van Niekerk told the BBC's No Balls podcast that she hadn't come into the fitness test without meeting the required standards.

"I have never said that you shouldn't be fit if you're playing for your country, but I didn't come into that fitness test less fit. I wasn't overweight. In fact, everything was better than it had been," said Van Niekerk.

"I was being picked previously because I was good at cricket, and I don't know how that went out the window. I believed in myself as a cricketer, as a tactician, and as a captain, and I thought that should carry some weight," Van Niekerk added.

She also felt that there was some personal angle to her exclusion that could have relations with her vocal character and how she used to hold players and staff accountable while thriving to deliver the best for South Africa.

"It had to be an internal thing - it's personal," she further added.

It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders: Van Niekerk

Van Niekerk touched upon a variety of topics; despite her retirement from international cricket, she still has a lot to play for in domestic cricket. She was recently signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the WPL 2023 and is currently playing in the Fairbreak Invitational tournament in Hong Kong.

"This phase will end. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders; I feel like I'm under a magnifying glass a bit, with people saying I need to show them why they shouldn't have left me out, It's not about that. I want to find my love for cricket again. Cricket gave me friends for life. It's sad that it ended how it did, but cricket gave me so much and I will always be so grateful," she concluded.