Star axed from World Cup for astonishing reason

1 year ago 77

South African cricket selectors are nether occurrence aft leaving skipper Dane van Niekerk retired of the squad for the location T20 World Cup aft failing a fittingness test.

Van Niekerk said she had been near "absolutely broken" by the determination to permission her retired aft missing the people clip of 9 minutes, 30 2nd successful a 2km run.

She did it successful 9:48 - a idiosyncratic champion successful the test, which took spot connected January 27.

Van Niekerk has not played planetary cricket since suffering a backmost wounded successful September 2021. She past suffered a breached ankle successful an mishap astatine location successful January 2022.

She is the lone South African who has some scored much than 1500 runs and taken much than 50 wickets successful T20Is.

According to ESPNcricinfo, South African selectors implemented stringent caller investigating past year, with fittingness tests including running, strength, and assemblage composition.

Selector Clinton du Preez said van Niekerk was fixed an "extensive opportunity" to conscionable the fittingness benchmark.

"Everyone is rather acquainted with the concern and what is required," helium said.

"In December, we acceptable it retired intelligibly with wherever she needs to be. Dane volition ever beryllium missed connected the cricket field. We person reminded her of that.

"We besides admit the effort she tried to enactment into gathering the fittingness level."

On Twitter, van Niekerk's woman Marizanne Kapp said she was "one of the champion captains successful satellite cricket".

"You volition beryllium missed! The Lord has bigger plans," she besides wrote successful Afrikaans.

Kapp has besides pulled retired of South Africa's last T20 against India - their last competitory deed retired earlier the commencement of the World Cup.

Veteran Lizelle Lee was forced into status past twelvemonth aft she was dropped from the squad mid-way done a circuit of the UK for failing a value requirement. She has since relocated to Australia.

Coach Hilton Moreeng said van Niekerk had mislaid 10kg since she played successful The Hundred successful England past August, and had passed each different fittingness markers, but for the 2km run.

Van Niekerk has featured prominently successful the WBBL, with stints astatine the Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers, earlier playing for the Adelaide Strikers successful the 2021/2022 season.

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