Nortje ruled out as SA announce T20I squad for Zimbabwe Tri-Series

In what seems to be a big blow for the Proteas camp, star pacer Anrich Nortje will not be a part of the squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe. His ‘stress reaction’ has emerged as the core reason behind his regular absence from the field. The pacer was seen playing for the last time during last year’s T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.  

Nortje also missed the ongoing MLC 2025 due to the same injury; he was supposed to be in action for the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in the tournament’s current edition. The 31-year-old has played only two games in 2025 for KKR in this year’s edition of the tournament.

"We will have to see the length of the time that he will be out and the extent of the injury. I feel for him. He is a superstar fast bowler, and having to deal with setback after setback can't be easy. We will wait to see how serious it is,” said South Africa head coach Sukhi Conrad.

“Naturally, we are worried. In Anrich's case, this is the second or third stress reaction in his back. It is too early to make a diagnosis, and we are definitely not drawing a line through this name. He is 31 years old, and we are going to give him every chance to come back. We will have to see what the medical team thinks is the best way forward,” he added later.

Speaking of South Africa’s squad for the T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe, the team will be missing some big names, including the likes of regular white-ball skipper, Aiden Markram, alongside Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller, Apart from these stars, senior pacer Kagiso Rabada and star spinner Keshav Maharaj will also miss the T20I series. Notably, Maharaj will also be leading the Test side of the WTC champions against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe.

Here's a look at South Africa’s T20I squad:

Rassie van der Dussen (C), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqabayomzi Peter, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, and Andile Simelane.