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Dane Van Niekerk Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth14/03/1993

Age30 (as of 2023)

BirthplacePretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

ProfessionCricketer (all-rounder)

NationalitySouth African

Marital statusMarried

SpouseMarizanne Kapp

FamilyFather - Peter van Niekerk; Brother - Gerrit Van Niekerk

Dane Van Niekerk Biography

South African all‑rounder Dane van Niekerk built a trophy‑filled international and franchise career as a right‑hand batter and right‑arm legbreak bowler. A

Early life and background
Dane van Niekerk was born on 14 March 1993 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. She grew up in an active sporting environment, playing softball, hockey and netball as a child before focusing on cricket. Van Niekerk began playing with boys’ teams at primary school and first appeared in an all‑female side while at high school. She attended Hoërskool Centurion and later studied at the University of South Africa, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Career
Van Niekerk turned professional in her mid‑teens, joining Northerns Under‑19 and Highveld Women before progressing to South Africa Under‑19s, where she was named captain at sixteen. She made her One Day International debut on 8 March 2009 against the West Indies at age 16, and her Twenty20 International debut on 11 June 2009, also versus the West Indies. Her only Test appearance came on 16 November 2014 in a one‑off match against India at Mysore.

A genuine all‑rounder, van Niekerk bats right‑handed and bowls right‑arm legbreak. Early in her international career she produced notable bowling performances, including three wickets with an economy of 1.37 in a 2009 World Cup playoff. In January 2013 she became the first South African woman to claim an international hat trick, finishing that match with five wickets. She added further milestone performances over the next years: multiple four‑wicket hauls, two five‑wicket ODI performances by January 2014, and a Player of the Match 70 not out during a 2014 tour of Sri Lanka.

Van Niekerk rose to national leadership in June 2016 when Cricket South Africa appointed her captain of the women’s team across formats. Her first major tournament as captain was the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, where she finished as the tournament’s leading wicket‑taker with 15 wickets and earned selection to the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year. On 15 February 2017 she became the first South African woman to reach 100 ODI wickets. Two weeks earlier, on 2 July 2017, she recorded the unusual feat of taking four international wickets without conceding a run—the first time that had been achieved in international cricket by any player.

Van Niekerk also produced notable batting achievements. She scored her maiden ODI century on 11 February 2019, an unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka, and is among the South African women to pass 2,000 ODI runs. In domestic and franchise cricket she has played for a long list of teams, including Loughborough Lightning, Surrey Stars, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Strikers, ACT Meteors, Oval Invincibles, Royal Challengers Bangalore and others. She was top scorer and captain of Oval Invincibles when they won the inaugural edition of The Hundred in 2021, finishing as the tournament’s leading run‑scorer.

Van Niekerk’s franchise highlights include WBBL titles with Sydney Sixers and a prolific campaign in the Kia Super League where she finished among the leading wicket‑takers. She captained the Coronations in South Africa’s Women’s T20 Super League and was later named Starlights captain for the 2022–2023 season.

Public profile
Van Niekerk’s international career contains a number of firsts for South African women’s cricket: the first South African woman to take 100 ODI wickets, the first South African female international hat trick, and the first bowler in international cricket to take four wickets without conceding a run. She was named South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 2017 and was selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2022. Her jersey number for South Africa has been 81.

Off the field, van Niekerk has been open about aspects of her personal life that intersect with her public role. She and fellow international Marizanne Kapp married on 6 July 2018; the pair made history as the first married couple to bat together in a major ICC tournament in November 2018. Van Niekerk has spoken about the challenge of coming out to an initially conservative family and later receiving their support. She follows a non‑vegetarian diet and is reported to consume alcohol.

Latest updates
Van Niekerk’s later career was affected by injury and fitness issues. She missed the 2022 ICC World Cup after fracturing her left ankle in a fall at home. Her participation in The Hundred in 2022 was limited due to a lack of match fitness. Ahead of the 2023 ICC T20 World Cup she was not selected for South Africa after failing a mandatory fitness test administered by Cricket South Africa. She served on the official commentary panel for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the inaugural Women’s Premier League season in 2023, though she did not play in any matches.

On 16 March 2023 van Niekerk announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket, bringing to a close a landmark international career that included leadership, record‑setting bowling feats and important batting contributions for South Africa and multiple franchise sides.
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Recent Work

Signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (Women’s Premier League)

Signed for the inaugural WPL season in 2023; did not feature in matches.

2023
Commentary – 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

Part of the tournament’s official commentary panel.

2023
Starlights captain – Women’s T20 Super League

Appointed captain for the 2022–2023 season.

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. First South African woman to take 100 ODI wickets
  2. First South African woman to take an international hat trick
  3. First cricketer to take four international wickets without conceding a run
  4. Top wicket‑taker at the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup (15 wickets)
  5. Named 2017 South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year
  6. Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2022)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Dane Van Niekerk born?

14/03/1993

What is Dane Van Niekerk known for?

Cricketer (all-rounder)

What is Dane Van Niekerk’s marital status?

Married

Who is Dane Van Niekerk married to?

Marizanne Kapp