South Africa suffer setback with Dane van Niekerk ruled out of New Zealand tour

Dane Van Niekerk. (Photo Source: Mark Kolbe-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

South Africa all-rounder Dane van Niekerk has been ruled out of their white-ball series against New Zealand after sustaining a calf injury. The 32-year-old did not feature in the first T20I on Sunday, March 15 and will now miss the entire tour. Anneke Bosch, who last played a T20I for South Africa back in November 2024, has been called in as a replacement for the right-handed batter.

Van Niekerk had announced her retirement from international cricket in 2023 after not meeting Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) fitness requirements. She did, however, reverse her decision and returned in December 2025. The former captain will not miss her first away tour since making her comeback to international cricket.

Van Niekerk’s injury comes at a delicate time as far as South Africa are concerned with the T20 World Cup in England just around the corner. The Proteas are also currently without van Niekerk’s wife and star batter Marizanne Kapp.

Van Niekerk has been one of South Africa’s modern-day greats before her concerns with fitness. Making her international debut in 2009, the right-hander has represented South Africa in 110 ODIs and 91 T20Is, with more than 4,500 international runs and 275 wickets under her belt.

The 32-year-old recently played in a three-match T20I against Pakistan on home soil where she only managed to score just 19 runs.

Her replacement Bosch, meanwhile, has been captaining the Titans Women Cricket Team in domestic cricket where she has shown some great form across formats. She has played 49 times for South Africa in T20Is, scoring 910 at an average of 26.76.

South Africa and New Zealand’s T20I series is currently being played as part of double-headers along with the men’s competition. The hosts won the first T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui by 80 runs after dismissing the Proteas for just 110 in the second innings thanks to Sophie Devine’s four-wicket haul.

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