Why Tony de Zorzi & Donovan Ferreira were snubbed from South Africa’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad?

Tony de Zorzi & Donovan Ferreira were initially named in the South Africa squad for upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

South Africa are gearing up for T20 World Cup 2026, which is the next big ICC tournament that will commence next month. India and Sri Lanka are the hosts of the tournament, which will be played from February 7 to March 8 and will feature a battle among 20 teams for the title.

South Africa, who ended as runners-up in last edition, will be among the strongest sides in the multi-national tournament. Aiden Markram is set to captain the Proteas in the T20 World Cup 2026, where they will aim for their first-ever trophy.

Proteas have already named a strong squad for the tournament. However, they have made two massive changes to their team. Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira have been removed from the squad and were replaced by Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs.

Notably, January 31 is the deadline for all teams to submit their final squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC). After this deadline, they will need special permission from ICC and a worthy reason to make any more changes.

Revealed: Why are Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira were removed from South Africa’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Notably, Zorzi has not recovered from a hamstring injury he sustained in December during South Africa’s tour of India. He was expected to recover ahead of the ICC tournament but will need more time to regain his fitness.

On the other hand, Ferreira fractured his shoulder while fielding in an SA20 2025-26 match between Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals. He injured his shoulder on the last ball of the innings. He later returned to bat and faced one ball before retiring hurt due to pain in his shoulder.

South Africa’s updated squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Aiden Markram (C), Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje.

Meanwhile, South Africa are placed in Group D in T20 World Cup 2026 alongside UAE, Canada, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. They will face Canada in their first game on February 9 at Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Ahead of the tournament, they will also clash with West Indies in a three-match T20I series at home from January 27 to 31.

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