Dane van Niekerk

Dane Van Niekerk is one of the rare breeds in the cricket world. She is a leg-spinning all-rounder who came into the South African set-up as a child virtuoso. The allrounder was introduced to the national side in the 2009 World Cup, after becoming one of the first two female cricketers to be included in a men's team. 

Debuted for the Proteas, as a leggie, during the 50-over World Cup to play her maiden game against West Indies, but didn’t have a dream debut. Van Niekerk shone a star in the very next game, against Sri Lanka, by taking 3 for 11 in the 7th place play-off of the tournament.

As the spinner’s career progressed, she worked on her batting skills, apart from taking huge leaps with the ball. In 2013, Van Niekerk took a hat-trick against the West Indies, finishing the game with 5 for 28. Later that season, she scored her first half-century against Pakistan to earn the title of an allrounder. 

During the inaugural season of Big Bash, the South African was picked by Melbourne Renegades and later drafted to Sydney Sixer, before the second edition of the league. In 2016, Van Niekerk was appointed as the captain by Cricket South Africa, following Mignon du Preez stepped down from the role. 

Over the years, Van Niekerk has become a seasoned campaigner for her national team, after representing in all the ICC events since her debut. The allrounder has become one of the finest to represent South Africa at the highest level. 

(As of April 2021)