Proteas approach Anrich for T20 spectacle

Aiden Markram will be at the helm of a group of 15 players at the T20 World Cup tournament in the USA and the West Indies.

SA20 stars such as Ottniel Baartman and Ryan Rickelton are included in the group, while Anrich Nortjé can also be part of the action again.

The 30-year-old Nortjé’s last game in Protea colors was in September 2023 against Australia in Bloemfontein and he missed the World Cup (50 overs) in India with a lower back injury.

However, these days he is again playing for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, but the batsmen are definitely targeting quick runs from his bowling.

In his six games for the Capitals, he has admittedly taken seven wickets, but he concedes almost 14 runs per over.

The Mumbai Indians’ Romario Shepherd, for example, smashed 32 runs from one of his overs, but an Anrich Nortjé at full speed can still make batsmen stand out on the big stage.

He has already pushed the speed needle into the red again with a couple of deliveries faster than 150 km/h.

Then the South Africans can rely on the fireworks-willow performances of Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, while Tristan Stubbs is also firing on all cylinders for the Capitals in India these days.

However, there is no sign of Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw or Matthew Breetzke in the group.

Proteas’ T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortjé, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi and Tristan Stubbs.

This is your T20 World Cup Proteas Men’s team South Africa! ???? Let’s rally behind our squad as they aim to conquer the world stage and bring home the gold! ????????

Stay tuned for the out of this world performances! #T20WorldCup #OutOfThisWorld #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/NVwYYsN7cH

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) April 30, 2024