Oval Invincibles captain Dane van Niekerk is ready to return from injury as the women’s Hundred begins today at The Kia Oval.
After being side-lined since November, the South African cricketer is eager to play in tonight’s headline clash against the Northern Superchargers.
Delayed because of the Commonwealth Games, today’s match in London sees a return to the successful double-header where both the men and women’s games happen on the same day.
Speaking ahead of the game, van Niekerk said: “What the Hundred brings is that equality where the females have the headliner.
“Hopefully we can do justice by that, the Superchargers have a good team and no doubt it’s going to be a very well fought contest.”
A major success of last year’s tournament was the interest garnered in women’s cricket, with a record crowd of over 17,000 at the Lord’s final.
Despite still generally being paid less than the men, this year’s Hundred will see the 16 highest-paid women earn slightly more than the lowest-paid men.
Van Niekerk admitted that, especially on the back of the Commonwealth Games, it is incredibly important to continue building support for the women’s game through tournaments such as the Hundred.
She said: “Watching the men’s games I just got really excited for our games as well, just remembering how electric and amazing it was to play in front of those crowds.
“I expect nothing less, I only expect more so I’m really excited to get going.”
The Invincibles captain has come through personal difficulties to be in England for the Hundred, missing the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games through a long-term injury.
“I think just mentally it’s taken the biggest toll on me this injury, just because of the length of time that I was away and it being such a bad injury that I was almost technically bedridden for 3 weeks,” she said.
With an exciting month ahead leading the reigning champions, the South African all-rounder is excited just to be playing cricket again after such a long wait.
Van Niekerk said: “I’m built to play cricket, mentally I need to do that and thank goodness everybody has been supportive in getting me back to doing what I love and supporting the journey that I am on.”
Arriving recently in England for the start of the tournament, van Niekerk has had a short amount of time to get to know some of the new faces in the Invincibles squad.
These include Aylish Cranstone, Emily Windsor, Kira Chathli and former Supercharger Lauren Winfield-Hill.
With a youthful squad, van Niekerk said: “The moment you have youngsters in the team it just changes not just the vibe but the energy within training.”
However, in Suzie Bates, Shabnim Ismail and van Niekerk’s partner Marizanne Kapp, the Invincibles captain is glad to have experienced campaigners to lean on.
Last year, 42 from Alice Davidson-Richards was enough to help the Northern Superchargers beat the Oval Invincibles in a low scoring fixture in Leeds.
Speaking about tonight’s opposition, van Niekerk said: “It’s a very good side and on any given day they can beat any team so we have to be at the top of our game.
“Every single team is just ready and raring to get this Hundred under way.
“Even though it’s the second one, let’s make it the best one yet.”
The Hundred will run throughout August with the final on the 3rd September at Lords.
Oval Invincibles v Northern Superchargers will be live on BBC Two and Sky Sports, with the men’s game starting at 15.00 and the women’s headliner at 18.30.
For more information on the Hundred, click here.
Featured Image: Photo by Karl Bridgeman – ECB/ECB via Getty Images
