Published: Jan 16, 2025, 08:47 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 16, 2025, 08:47 AM (IST)
South Africa has suffered a massive shock to their lineup, as their star pacer Anrich Nortje faced a back injury, due to which he has been ruled out of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. According to a report in Cricbuzz, this has come as a massive blow for the Proteas, as there are only 35 days are left for the mega-event to start.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed that the scans which were conducted on Monday had revealed the scale of his injury. Anrich missed Wednesday’s SA20 clash against Paarl Royals, is now expected to be put to side for a decent amount of time.
CSA accepts that Nortje is ‘not expected to recover in time’ for the tournament, which takes place with South Arica facing Afghanistan on February 21. Even though a replacement has not been named for Nortje, CSA have given indications regarding them making an announcement real soon.
According to Cricbuzz, pace all-rounder Gerald Coetzee is going to replace Anrich Nortje in the squad for Champions Trophy 2025.This speculation also lines up with the previous comments by coach Rob Walter, who highlighted Coetzee as a player with a similar caliber to that of Nortje.
“Gerald Coetzee played very well in the 2023 World Cup, but it was between him and Anrich Nortje. They offer high pace, both of them. Anrich has more experience and attributes that will stand us in good stead in Pakistan. Gerald has done nothing wrong to not be selected,” Rob Walter said.
According to this remark, there are probability for Coetzee to be already considered as a potential replacement in case an unfortunate event takes place, making him the most likely player to fill in the gap left by Nortje’s injury.
