Dane Van Niekerk (Source: @RCBTweets/X.com)
South African all-rounder Dane van Niekerk, who recently made a U-turn on her international career, has been selected by Guyana Amazon Warriors for the upcoming Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2025. For the unversed, Niekerk has been looking to make an international comeback and is likely to find her way into the side in a few months from now.
Niekerk Alongside Two Others Join The Amazon Warriors Squad
In what is coming as an interesting news, Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) have secured the services of Dane van Niekerk, the former South African all-rounder, New Zealand's pacer Molly Penfold, alongside Ireland's wicketkeeper-batter Amy Hunter, as replacements for the pacer Shabnim Ismail, Lauren Winfield-Hill, and Madeline Penna for the ongoing WCPL 2025.
Niekerk, who has been absent from franchise cricket for quite a while, will be engaging in her first stint since the last one came in the Women's Hundred in August 2023, while previously she was a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) in 2023, but couldn't get a game.
Although she won't be a part of the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, which is set to be played from the 30th of September, Van Niekerk is still likely to make a mark on her international career once again. As the coach of the side, Mandla Mashimbyi has confirmed that they will be looking at her for the upcoming home series, where she will be provided ample chances to prove her worth once again, especially in international cricket.
For those who don't know, Niekerk was left out of the 2022 T20 World Cup squad after she failed to pass the fitness test, following which she announced her international retirement all of a sudden and has now decided to make a comeback to the side after missing cricket for quite a while.
Currently, she is part of the South African training camp that took place before the Women's World Cup 2025, but wasn't selected, as she was just being given some exposure, according to management.
Van Niekerk Left Out Of Guyana's First Game
The Guyana Amazon Warriors featured in the first game, where they faced Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) at the Providence Stadium in Guyana in the opening encounter, where the Warriors won in a tense encounter by just six runs; however, Van Niekerk was missing from the lineup as she sat on the sidelines of this opener.
The women's CPL this season began on the 6th of September and will run until the 17th of September, when the final is scheduled at the same venue where the three sides – Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, and Barbados Royals – will face each other in the group stage, while the two finalists will feature in the finale.
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