Anrich Nortje, who has formed a formidable partnership with Kagiso Rabada, has been ruled out of the three-Test series against India that will begin on December 26.
Follow Us
Anrich Nortje, the South African pacer who has formed a hostile partnership with Kagiso Rabada, has been ruled out of the three-Test series against India. Nortje, who has impressed in the Delhi Capitals in two seasons of the IPL, has been suffering an injury. In a statement by Cricket South Africa, it did not specify the nature of the injury. “He has not recovered adequately for this Test. He is consulting a specialist to manage and advise on his recovery. No replacement has been sought.”
In 12 Tests, Nortje has taken 47 wickets at an average of 28. The pacer has achieved tremendous success in a short while, managing to take three five-wicket hauls. His best haul was 6/56 against Sri Lanka in Johannesburg in 2021. Apart from that, he took a five-wicket haul in Pakistan when South Africa had toured after a gap of 14 years.
With the exit of Anrich Nortje, the burden on the bowling front falls on Kagiso Rabada. The ace pacer will be assisted by Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, and Keshav Maharaj. South Africa has suffered in their last two series against India away, losing 3-0 on both occasions. At home, South Africa is the only country where India has not won a series yet. In 29 years of both nations playing, South Africa has won once in India. On the other hand, India has never won a Test series against the Proteas.
Read | India vs South Africa News: Series to be played Behind Closed Doors due to Coronavirus Fears
The India vs South Africa series will see no fans in attendance at the four venues due to COVID-19 fears. The tour will start on December 26 and end on January 23 with three Tests and three ODIs. The Tests will be played in Johannesburg, Centurion, and Cape Town. The ODIs will be played in Paarl and Cape Town. However, two out of the four venues are in Gauteng province. It is the hotbed of the latest surge of the Omicron variant in the coronavirus pandemic.
Cricket South Africa stated that it was with regret that fans would not be allowed to come to the stadiums. “Owing to the fourth wave locally, the two cricketing bodies have taken a joint decision to protect the players and the tour. This will be done by NOT making tickets available for the India vs Proteas offerings. This decision was taken in order to avoid any breaches that could compromise the tour from a Covid-risk perspective. It was taken to also maintain a hazard-free bubble environment,” the statement said.
Cricket South Africa, though, has made alternate arrangements for the fans. There will be public viewing activations from which fans can see the games. It will be like fan theme parks in which people can view the action virtually. However, the arrangement is all subject to approvals from the Government.
Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee , Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier
