Nortje Ruled Out of MLC 2025 and South Africa’s T20I Tri-Series

Anrich Nortje, the South African fast bowler, will be sidelined for an undetermined duration due to a stress reaction in his back.

The 31-year-old was excluded from South Africa’s T20I team for the forthcoming tri-series in Zimbabwe next month. He has also withdrawn from Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, where he was slated to represent the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR).

The tri-series is scheduled to be held in Harare, commencing on July 14, culminating in the final on July 26, and will feature Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

Nortje has faced a challenging year, participating in only a pair of matches for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, has acknowledged the injury and stated that Cricket South Africa (CSA) currently lacks complete information regarding the extent of the injury or the projected recovery period.

“We will have to assess the duration of his absence and the severity of the injury. My sympathies are with him,” Conrad remarked. “He is an exceptional fast bowler, and dealing with repeated setbacks cannot be easy. We will await further information on the seriousness of the situation.”

Nortje’s injury concerns have escalated recently. His most recent international appearance was during the T20 World Cup in 2024, after which he has encountered numerous obstacles.

Following his decision to decline a central contract to prioritize T20s, he was excluded from the home T20I series against Pakistan because of a fractured toe, followed by a back injury that prevented his participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Although he joined KKR for the IPL, he was limited to just two appearances before sustaining another injury.

At this point, it remains uncertain which formats Nortje will prioritize when he returns to full fitness.

“We are understandably concerned. This marks the second or third stress reaction in Anrich’s back. It is premature to provide a definitive diagnosis, and we are not ruling him out completely. At 31, we are committed to providing him with every opportunity to recover. We will await the medical team’s assessment of the optimal course of action.”

South Africa Squad:

Rassie van der Dussen (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane.

Tri-nation T20I Series Schedule: