Proteas forced into squad alteration

South Africa have suffered a big blow on the eve of the World Cup, with paceman Anrich Nortje ruled out of the tournament with a hand injury.

Nortje fractured his right thumb during a practice session in Port Elizabeth on Monday and has been replaced in the South Africa squad by veteran allrounder Chris Morris.

The loss of Nortje is the latest blow for South Africa, who still have question marks surrounding the fitness of Dale Steyn (shoulder), Kagiso Rabada (back) and Lungi Ngidi (side strain) ahead of their first World Cup match against England later this month.

Nortje has eight wickets from four ODIs for the Proteas and team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said the absence of the 25-year-old will be felt by his side.

“Anrich sustained a fracture to his right thumb during a net session in Port Elizabeth on Monday. He immediately consulted a hand surgeon and underwent surgery to stabilise the joint and will unfortunately be side-lined for up to eight weeks. This makes him unavailable for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup,” Moosajee said.

“It is an unfortunate and freakish injury, especially because he had made a successful recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained during the series against Sri Lanka. He has had a few injury setbacks in the last year but knowing Anrich’s character, he will be motivated to come back stronger. We wish him a speedy recovery.” 

Morris earns a call-up to the Proteas 15-man squad despite not having played an ODI for his country since February 2018, with the 32-year-old more renowned for his work in the T20 arena.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) National Selection Panel convener Linda Zondi believes Morris is more than capable of making an impact during the 50-over showpiece that gets underway in England and Wales later this month.

"Chris has always been in our plans and is our next best option with the ball," Zondi said.

"He has the pace and death-bowling skills which will be vital in the UK, and also gives us that depth as a deadly finisher with the bat. We have had concerns around his injuries and workload capabilities but this is an opportunity for him to make a mark on the biggest stage.

"Admittedly, the injuries ahead of the tournament have been frustrating but I continue to have confidence that the players we have selected will make the country proud.

"It is unfortunate what has happened to Anrich, he is a talented player with exciting potential. We wish him well on his road to recovery and have no doubt that he will bounce back to fulfil his potential."