Photo Credit: Adelaide Strikers
Adelaide Strikers WBBL squad is another big name closer to completion, with South African superstar Dané Van Niekerk set to pull on Strikers blue for Weber WBBL|07.
A feature of the competition since its inception, the 28-year-old has been a crucial player across five seasons with the Sydney Sixers, playing an important role in back-to-back WBBL|02 and WBBL|03 championships.
Captain for her home nation in all three formats, van Niekerk brings a wealth of experience with her to Adelaide.
A leg-spinner by trade, the South African has proven herself as a ferocious allrounder who can attack with both bat and ball.
The right-hander is closely closing in on 1000 WBBL runs, proving equally as dangerous with the ball, claiming 74 wickets in 76 matches.
The Pretoria native made her debut in 2009 as a fresh-faced 16-year-old, claiming 3/11 in her second international appearance.
Her record is one that speaks for itself with close to 4000 runs on the board and 173 wickets to her name at the international level.
The allrounder has made a trio of Women’s Cricket World Cup appearances, as well as taking part in every Women’s T20 World Cup since 2009.
A record-breaker by nature, the leg-spinner was the first South African woman to take an international hat-trick, later also becoming the only South African player to take two five-wicket hauls in the Women’s ODI format.
To add to her already overflowing list of achievements, van Niekerk most recently led the Oval Invincibles to victory in the The Hundred, earning herself MVP honours in the process.
Adelaide Strikers Head Coach, Luke Williams is confident that the international will inject a wealth of knowledge into the group.
“We are excited to welcome Dané into the group, she is someone that brings a huge amount of experience and talent that will be a massive benefit to our WBBL|07 campaign.
“It is no coincidence that Dané has played in and captained winning teams, she leads by example and always performs on the biggest stages. Dané comes to Australia in incredible form off the back of The Hundred and South Africa’s tour of the West Indies and we can’t wait to see her take the field as a Striker.”
The international star is thrilled to be heading to Adelaide this summer.
“I’m so excited to be joining the Strikers this year and very excited to join the team. I hope to make the fans proud!”
The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, competing in the Big Bash League (BBL). Established in 2011, they succeeded the Southern Redbacks, who played in the now-defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The Strikers play their home games at the Adelaide Oval and wear a cornflower blue uniform.
