South Africa announce 15-member squad for Commonwealth Games 2022, Dane van Niekerk misses out

South Africa women have announced a 15-member squad for Commonwealth Games 2022. The regular skipper Dane van Niekerk is missing the list as she failed to regain fitness after an ankle injury. However, veteran batter Mignon de Preez has been included. She had declared her retirement from Test and ODI formats after the conclusion of the World Cup in April.

Van Niekerk has featured in 194 international games and has scored over 4000 runs and has taken over 200 wickets as well. She missed the 2022 World Cup as well after hurting her ankle in January 2022. She recovered from the injury but is yet to regain full fitness.

Stand-in skipper Sune Luus will be leading the squad once again, who is captaining the current squad on the England tour. The same 15-member squad, with the addition of Delmi Tucker, will be playing the three-match T20I series against England from July 21, after the conclusion of the ongoing ODI series. South Africa Women’s team rank fifth in the ICC T20I team’s chart.

South Africa Women’s squad for Commonwealth Games 2022

Women’s cricket is making its debut in the Commonwealth Games 2022 for the first time. The tournament is scheduled in Birmingham and will be played from July 29 to August 7. The South African team is in Group B alongside England, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. Interestingly, South Africa’s men’s team won the Gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

“I have no doubt that the Proteas team, under the tutelage of coach Hilton Moreeng and captain, Sune Luus, will leave it all out on the field in an effort to make the entire South African population beam with pride while following their progression at the Games,” said CSA Director Enoch Nkwe in an official statement.

South Africa Women: Anneke Bosch, Trisha Chetty (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Maria Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus (c), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Shabnim Ismail, Chloe Tryon, Mignon van der Merwe (Du Preez) and Laura Wolvaardt