Dane van Niekerk opens up on World Cup snub: 'It had to be an internal thing - it's personal'

Former Proteas women's captain, Dane van Niekerk, says she feels her omission from this year's T20 World Cup may have been personal.

Van Niekerk was controversially left out of South Africa's T20 World Cup squad on fitness grounds after she failed to make the 2km cut-off time by 18 seconds.

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

Shortly after the SA women reached the final on home soil, Van Niekerk announced her retirement from international cricket.

The 29-year-old has now shifted her focus to playing in domestic T20 leagues across the globe. She is currently in Hong Kong playing in the Fairbreak Invitational.

She was also part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for last month's inaugural Women's Premier League in India and will soon head for England to take up a contract with the Sunrisers to play regional T20 cricket. After that, she will re-join the Oval Invincibles for The Hundred competition.

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC's No Balls cricket podcast, Van Niekerk revealed she still felt hurt at being left out of the SA squad for the World Cup.

"My captaincy was stripped from me because they said they realised there was a chance I might not make the World Cup team. I never expected them to kiss my feet. But surely what I have given and what I have put my body through for 14 years, does that not count for something?

"That hurt, because I was training alone, running, doing everything I can and then they say that. Where's the faith?" she said.

Van Niekerk hinted that there was more to her exclusion than simply missing the required time for a 2km run.

"I was vocal as a captain. I held players and management accountable and that included