Johannesburg - The next phase of Dane van Niekerk’s return following long-term injury is to get more match time ahead of the T20 World Cup next year.
The Proteas captain was involved in both of the team’s most recent training camps in East London, with the head coach, Hilton Moreeng, expressing his delight with her progress as she builds back to full fitness.
“She did play a few of the intra-squad matches, which was good, but most importantly for her now, is that we get match time into her legs,” said Moreeng.
Van Niekerk suffered a fractured ankle in a freak accident at home a few weeks before last season’s 50-over World Cup. She was not part of the team’s tour to England, but did feature in a few matches for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred competition. She has not been part of proceedings in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia, where she has played regularly in the last few years.
“She’s been working very hard to get back to full fitness and she has shaken off the injury niggles,” said Moreeng.
An important part of Van Niekerk’s preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in South Africa next February, will be the four-team Women’s Super League that will take place in Cape Town in December. That tournament will feature most of the country’s top stars, alongside some up and coming youngsters, who are hoping to make the grade and feature at the World Cup.
The World Cup is one of the highlights on the South African cricket calendar and is a crucial event in accelerating the growth of the women's game in the country. Matches will be split between three venues, Newlands in Cape Town, Boland Park in Paarl and St George’s Park in Gqeberha.
Much like the men’s team, the Proteas women, have had their issues at ICC events, with rain playing a major role in their semi-final defeat to Australia at the last T20 competition in 2020, while in New Zealand, earlier this year, after a solid round-robin phase, they produced an error-strewn performance in their semi-final against England.
Since then the side has struggled, with the drama around Lizelle Lee’s retirement in the middle of the tour to England because of fitness issues, shining a harsh spotlight on the team, which it has rarely faced.
Lee was a crucial part of the T20 team, with an ability to hit boundaries in the PowerPlay a major part of the game plan which was absent at the Commonwealth Games last year. Moreeng said replacing her was impossible.
“A player like Lizelle, they are unique, special talents. The gap will always be big in women’s cricket and we are trying to close that gap through these types of camps. It is where we expose younger players to the level of international cricket and we see how they fare.”
Having camps is one thing, the WSL which will feature some of the national stars, will add a competitive element that will be critical in the build-up to the World Cup.
After that tournament, the Proteas will play a triangular T20 series with India and the West Indies as part of their final preparations for the World Cup. That series will also be at a coastal venue, which will be announced in due course.
IOL Sport