Dane van Niekerk confirms Proteas retirement, ends stellar career on tumultuous note

Former Proteas women's captain Dane van Niekerk has officially announced her retirement from international cricket on Thursday.

The confirmed announcement puts to bed any speculation about her future after cryptic tweets speculated on her future.

Van Niekerk, a former and very successful captain of the women's team, was left out of the T20 World Cup squad on fitness grounds after she failed to make the 2km cut-off by 18 seconds.

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Van Niekerk had been laid low by a broken ankle that saw her miss last year's 50-Over World Cup in New Zealand.

In a joint statement with Cricket South Africa (CSA), Van Niekerk said it was an honour to represent her country.

"It has been the greatest honour to lead and represent my country. I am incredibly blessed to have led the team through its transformative years.

"There is no doubt that the women's game is in an exciting space and looking forward to seeing this beautiful game that I love grow.

"Often the journey can be lonely, painful, and emotional, but would not change it for anything. I'm grateful for what this game has given me.

"To all the players that I had the privilege to have shared the dressing room and competed with, I will hold on to the memories dearly."

CSA's director of cricket Enoch Nkwe thanked Van Niekerk for her contributions to the women's team.

Van Niekerk represented the Proteas in 107 ODIs, 86 T20s and a single Test match against India in 2014.

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The 29-year-old recorded 2175 runs in ODI cricket, with nine half-centuries and a career-best score of 102 against Sri Lanka, while amassing a further