The English and Wales Cricket Board’s Hundred tournaments commenced on 21st July 2021. Among several notable players in the Oval Invincibles’ Dane van Niekerk. Niekerk, born in Pretoria, is a leg-spin bowler and right-handed batswoman. The All-Rounder made her international debut in March 2009 at age 16 and is the first South African woman to get 2 five-wicket hauls. She was also the first bowler to take 100 wickets in the WODIs. Ultimately, she became captain of the Proteas Women’s team in all three formats after Mignon Du Preez stepped down from captaincy.
Niekerk’s performance in the Hundred has been commendable and is much appreciated by her coach Hilton Moreeng. In the latest the Hundred match against the Birmingham Phoenix, Dane’s outstanding performance drove the Oval Invincibles to their third victory in the tournament and maintained their chances for the playoff selection.
The Oval Invincibles’ skipper took 2 wickets giving 16 runs and played a big role in limiting the Birmingham Phoenix team to 129/9. In the second innings, Dane pulled off a sizeable score of 67 runs off 51 balls consisting 8 fours and 1 six. Adding this run-score to her overall has pushed her up to second place on the overall run-scoring charts behind Jemimah Rodrigues.
Regarding her performance in the tournament, coach Moreeng commented that being away from the game due to her lower back injury resulted in frustration for both the player and the country. However, despite recovering not so long ago, this performance from her proved that she is one of the most valuable players for South Africa. He is assured that she would join the South African team on their tour to the West Indies and bless their country with more wins.
Which South African players are part of The Hundred 2021?
The South African contingent in the Hundred consists of a five-women squad of Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee and Dane Van Niekerk. While these five women compete, the rest of the South African team is completely focused on preparation at Cricket South Africa’s High-Performance Centre trained by coach Moreeng, his support staff as well as their strength and conditioning coach Zane Webster.
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