Major Injury Concerns For South Africa Ahead Of T20 World Cup, But Anrich Nortje Remains Upbeat
South Africa have been dealt major blows ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, with Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira being ruled out of the initial squad that was named
South Africa have been dealt major blows ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, with Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira being ruled out of the initial squad that was named. Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs have taken their places. That is not all, as there are other concerns as well. David Miller did not play in two SA20 playoff matches, while Lungi Ngidi bowled only two overs for Pretoria Capitals in the qualifier against Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Dewald Brevis also took a hit on his fingers during one of the playoff games.
South Africa pace spearhead Anrich Nortje, however, played down the Proteas' injury concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup.
"Obviously, it's sad to lose guys and it's unfortunate. I've been on that side as well with a few World Cups and ICC events. But I think, all in all, the guys that are replacing them have put their hands up. They've done really well," Nortje told select Indian reporters after Sunrisers booked a place in the SA20 League final with a seven-wicket win over Paarl Royals in the second qualifier here on Friday.
"They've either played in previous World Cups or been in the squad, and they've put their hands up in the SA20 as well. So the replacements are not guys who haven't played or aren't performing. They're really proper players as well," he said.
"So it is unfortunate, but luckily we're in a position where we can replace them with good-quality players. And that's exactly what's happened," the South African speedster added.
The Wanderers pitch has once again been on the slower side, with batters struggling to score runs, but Nortje believes this is not a concern given the variety of conditions on offer in South Africa.
"You're going to get different wickets wherever you go. In South Africa, there's a massive variety of conditions. Conditions change at every venue. I'm just glad the boys adapted as quickly as we did," said Nortje, who has so far played 66 limited-overs matches (22 ODIs and 44 T20Is) for South Africa.
He acknowledged that the schedule has been quite hectic over the past few months but felt the workload has ensured every player has had enough match practice heading into the World Cup.
"The way the tournament has been and the amount of cricket played, the schedule has been quite hectic. There hasn't been a lot of time available. You have to travel on your off days. I think the boys have played a lot of cricket now, which is great for us. I don't think anyone has gotten less cricket," the 32-year-old fast bowler said.
"Maybe one or two guys coming in, but everyone's been playing a lot of cricket. That's brilliant for us going into the World Cup." Nortje admitted that had there been a T20I series just before the start of the World Cup, it would have been better. "Obviously, you probably would have wanted to play together as a team for a bit more. But I think, all in all, everyone is looking really good. Everyone's got good confidence and has played well. It's probably as close to ideal as it can be," Nortje said.
Asked about the biggest threat his team could face against Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 final in Cape Town on Sunday, Nortje underlined the unpredictable nature of the T20 format.
"In T20 cricket, any one player can make a difference. We saw Kyle (Verreynne) score 50 today. It can be any guy. One guy can take a fifer," Nortje said.
"So I'm not going to point out a single individual. You have to take everyone very seriously and that's just the nature of T20 cricket as well. A guy might score a quick 50 or a quick 20. So you've got to take every player seriously. It's hard to point out single names."
South Africa Cricket Team