South Africa has suffered a major setback as pacer Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a back injury. Nortje, who was named in South Africa’s provisional squad, had been gearing up for a return to the Proteas ODI setup after more than a year on the sidelines.
In an official statement, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed the news:
“Pretoria Capitals fast bowler Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the remainder of the Betway SA20 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a back injury. The 31-year-old underwent scans on Monday afternoon that revealed the extent of the injury. He is not expected to recover in time for the 50-over tournament, where South Africa begins their campaign on February 21 against Afghanistan in Karachi, Pakistan. His replacement will be announced in due course.”
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This is a particularly worrying development for both Nortje and South Africa, as it marks another recurrence of his back issues. A lower-back stress fracture had already ruled him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup, keeping him sidelined for nearly 10 months. While he made his return during the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy was expected to be his reintroduction to longer formats.
The injury means Nortje will have gone 18 months without playing an ODI and two years without featuring in a Test match.
This latest setback could also jeopardize his participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Nortje was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 6.5 crore at the mega auction, and his availability for the tournament is now uncertain.
