Why Anrich Nortje will not play remainder of the T20I and ODI series against Pakistan?

Anrich Nortje is yet to play for South Africa since the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final against India.

After missing first match of the ongoing T20I series between South Africa and Pakistan, speedster Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series and the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan.

South Africa are currently in a great position to win the T20I series. The Proteas won the first game against Pakistan in Durban by 11 runs and are leading the three-match series 1-0.

Anrich Nortje has not played for South Africa since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final in June. He was excellent in the tournament, emerging as the highest wicket-taker for the Proteas with 15 scalps.

He also recently opted out of a national contract with South Africa due to workload management.

Why Anrich Nortje will not play remainder of the T20I and ODI series against Pakistan?

Nortje sustained a contusion to his left big toe during a training session ahead of the first T20I. Scans following the blow revealed a fracture in his toe, ruling him out of the white-ball leg of the multi-format series against Pakistan.

The Proteas have named all-rounder Dayyaan Galiem as the replacement for Nortje. The uncapped pacer has picked up 46 wickets in his 60 games in his T20 career so far.

Nortje’s injury adds to the growing list of unavailable South African bowlers. Gerald Coetzee is out with a groin injury, whereas Nandre Burger is nursing a lower back stress fracture.

Additionally, Lungi Ngidi is sidelined with a hip injury alongside Wiaan Mulder, who is recovering from a broken finger sustained during the test series against Sri Lanka.

The second T20I game of the series will take place on December 13th in Centurion from 9:30 PM IST. Pakistan will hope for a better batting performance from their top-order batters, who played too slow in Durban.

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