“My heart breaks for you. You deserve so much better.” – Marizanne Kapp on Dané van Niekerk.
Telford Vice / Cape Town
DANé van Niekerk ended her international career on Thursday, six days after her wife, Marizanne Kapp, hinted on social media that that was imminent. Van Niekerk leaves a skills, experience, leadership, character and personality void and a string of stellar stats, but also controversy over the circumstances that led her to walk away from South Africa’s teams at the age of 29.
Just five players have scored more runs for South Africa in ODIS than Van Niekerk, and only Lizelle Lee has made more in T20Is. Van Niekerk is third among South Africa’s ODI as well as the T20I wicket-takers. She is one of six women’s players worldwide with more than 1,000 runs, 50 wickets and 50 catches in ODIs. She won 29 of her 50 ODIs as captain, and half of her 30 T20Is. She led South Africa to the World Cup semifinal in July 2017 and to the T20 version in March 2020. She played 193 white-ball internationals and one Test in a career that started in March 2009.
But Van Niekerk didn’t play for South Africa after September 2021. She fractured her ankle in a fall at home in January last year, put on weight during her downtime, and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup in February because she failed CSA’s stringently applied fitness test — she was 18 seconds too slow in her two-kilometre run. Her axing divided opinion in the game in South Africa and beyond. In an interview with Cricbuzz’ Purnima Malhotra published on Monday, Van Niekerk admitted that she had succumbed to “20,000 beers and KFC for no particular reason” while she was away from the game. It would have been bittersweet for her that South Africa reached their first senior World Cup final, by a women’s or a men’s team, in her absence: Suné Luus was in charge of the side that went down to Australia by 19 runs at Newlands on February 26.
“We are merely custodians of this sport; I hand it over knowing I have given it my everything and that women’s cricket is in a better place than when I arrived,” Van Niekerk was quoted as saying in a CSA release on Thursday. “That must be the responsibility of the new group, to always make sure you are improving and making a difference. It is time for me to support the new leadership and wish them all the very best.
“To my amazing family. Thank you for your incredible love and support. From the age of four, you have seen the potential and did everything and anything to help me exceed. I will forever be grateful.
“My wife, Marizanne, you stood by my side since day one. Thank you for putting up with me and all that came with it, but yet, here you are. You are at the pinnacle of your career and it is my time to support you, the way you have supported me. I love you.”
Van Niekerk is in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s squad but has not played in any of the WPL team’s six games. Kapp has appeared in all six of Delhi Capitals’ matches.
“My heart breaks for you. You deserve so much better,” Kapp posted on social media on Thursday.
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