On Monday, the injury-plagued Anrich Nortje was a surprise inclusion in the Proteas squad for the Champions Trophy next month. Two days later, he was withdrawn due to injury.
In hindsight, it was a surprise he was included at all.
Nortje last played for the Proteas in the T20 World Cup final against India in June last year, and his last game in any format was an Abu Dhabi T10 match for Deccan Gladiators on December 2.
The pacer was also ruled out of the local SA20 competition on Thursday due to the recurrence of his back injury.
If history has taught us anything, once a fast bowler begins struggling with injury its always a battle to remain fit, and that’s true with a speedster in their mid-20s.
Nortje though, is now 31 and his ailments are of serious concern.
His ability has never been in question, in fact it was also a gamble selecting him in the squad for the T20 World Cup, but he was a revelation for the Proteas.
The tearaway quick played all nine matches, and finished as the top SA bowler on the wicket-takers with 15 sticks. That put him fourth on the wicket-takers list at the tournament, just two victims behind Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi and India’s Arshdeep Singh.
When he’s on, he’s a top performer for South Africa. But these days, he misses more games than he plays.
Nortje, however, was out of action for nine months in 2023 before he opted out of his Cricket SA (CSA) contract in an attempt to manage his health better.
Though well-intentioned, the efforts of Nortje to keep fit seem to be failing and it’s time to look to the future for someone younger and in good health.
Kwena Maphaka’s name springs to mind, but that’s worth a story on its own as the rising star continues to shine bright, and he is certainly one for the future.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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