Revised Title: Nortje Injury Sidelines South African Pacer as Familiar Faces Return for Zimbabwe Tri-Series

South Africa has named its squad for the upcoming T20I triangular series in Zimbabwe, featuring the return of Rassie van der Dussen, Nandre Burger, and Gerald Coetzee. New faces like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Corbin Bosch, Rubin Hermann, and Senuran Muthusamy are also set to join the team. However, Anrich Nortje's name is conspicuously missing due to injury concerns.

Anrich Nortje sidelined due to stress-related back issues © Getty

Van der Dussen's last appearance for South Africa was in March, Burger in August and Coetzee in November. The series also marks a return for coach Rob Walter to the dugout, while Shukri Conrad will take charge of the white-ball format after previously focusing on red-ball cricket since January 2023.

The T20I triangular series is scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe next month and will feature South Africa, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand.

"I look forward to catching up with Rob," Conrad said during the squad announcement. "We've been chatting and we're going to share a nice sparkling water. He's got valuable insights into our squad, which makes the tri-series all the more spicy."

Rassie van der Dussen will captain the squad in the absence of Aiden Markram, who, along with Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada, and Tristan Stubbs, is being rested.

Conrad has stated his desire to have South Africa's best players available as much as possible. The current squad selection, however, reflects a need to manage player workload.

"The all-format players had Test series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home [in November and December]," Conrad explained. "Then they had the SA20 [in January and February], then they went straight into an IPL that went on for a bit longer [from March to June]. Then we had the WTC final [at Lord's this month]. Their last few months have been chock-a-block."

He added, "If you cast your eye on what the next few months look like for us, starting with this series and then a couple of days after that we go to Australia [in August, for white-ball series] and England [in September, also for white-ball rubbers], we felt it was the best thing for them to freshen up."

While Burger and Coetzee are returning from injury, Anrich Nortje was not considered due to a stress-related back problem. This latest setback raises concerns about the future of the express pace bowler.

"It's the second or third stress reaction in his back," Conrad stated. "So of course it's something to be concerned about. But there's still a long way to go to make a decision in terms of how we're going to go forward. We're definitely not going to draw a line through his name."

Conrad added, "He's only 31, and we're going to give him every chance to get back on his feet and fight back. We're going to see how things develop and what the medical staff feel is the path forward and how it's going to look."

Nortje has not played for South Africa since June 2024. Since his debut in 2019, he has featured in less than 40% of the matches South Africa has played, a consequence of injuries and his focus on franchise cricket, which led him to decline a CSA contract.

On a brighter note, Lhuan-dre Pretorius has earned his place in the squad. "He's a special breed, the type of player who announces themselves on the biggest stage," Conrad commented. "He did really well in the under-19 World Cup and he debuted in the SA20 and was phenomenal. He's played first-class cricket for the Titans, and he scored a hundred on debut and a hundred in the final. That says there's something special about him."

Pretorius was South Africa's highest run-scorer at the 2023 under-19 World Cup and this year's SA20. He also scored centuries on his first-class debut and in the final for the Titans.