Van der Dussen to Captain South Africa in Zimbabwe Tri-Series; Nortje Injury Concerns Loom

South Africa has named its squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe, featuring the return of several key players and opportunities for new faces. Rassie van der Dussen will captain the side in the absence of rested regulars. However, the squad announcement was marred by the absence of Anrich Nortje due to injury concerns.

Welcome back to Rassie van der Dussen, Nandre Burger, and Gerald Coetzee, as well as coach Rob Walter. Lhuan-dre Pretorius receives his first call-up, along with Corbin Bosch, Rubin Hermann, and Senuran Muthusamy, while Shukri Conrad takes charge. But unfortunately, Anrich Nortje is out due to injury.

Anrich Nortje sidelined with back injury. © Getty

Van der Dussen's last appearance for South Africa was in March, Burger in August, and Coetzee in November. Pretorius, Bosch, Hermann, and Muthusamy are all in line for their T20I debuts. Walter is back from coaching New Zealand, and Conrad, South Africa’s red-ball coach since January 2023, is taking on the white-ball role previously held by Walter.

The tri-series in Zimbabwe next month will feature South Africa, New Zealand, and the host nation.

"I look forward to catching up with Rob," Conrad stated at a press conference. "We've been chatting, and he's got valuable insights into our squad, which makes the tri-series all the more spicy."

Van der Dussen will lead the team with several senior players rested, including Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada, and Tristan Stubbs.

Conrad has emphasized the importance of having South Africa's best players available whenever possible. However, the current squad selection reflects the challenges of managing player workload in a landscape dominated by various leagues.

"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."

Burger and Coetzee have recovered from injuries, but Nortje was not considered due to a stress-related back problem. This latest setback raises concerns about the future of the fast bowler's career.

"It's the second or third stress reaction in his back," Conrad said. "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 reiterated the team's support for Nortje: "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, who last played for South Africa in June 2024, has earned 83 international caps since his debut in 2019. However, he has only featured in less than 40% of the matches South Africa have played, due to injuries and his decision to prioritize his franchise career.

On a brighter note, Lhuan-dre Pretorius is poised to make his mark on the international stage. "He's a special breed, the type of player who announces themselves on the biggest stage," Conrad said. "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 the highest at this year's SA20. He scored 120 on his first-class debut and 114 in the final to help the Titans secure victory.