Anrich Nortje ruled out of SA20 2024 after sustaining back injury

In a major development for SA20’s Pretoria Capitals, the franchise announced that star pacer Anrich Nortje will be missing the entirety of the tournament that is slated to begin on Wednesday, January 10, in Gqeberha. It is worth noting that Nortje has been ruled out of playing since September 2023, and he even missed the ODI World Cup 2023 and India’s tour of South Africa as well. 

However, as his back issues persisted, Nortje’s time on the sidelines has been extended as Pretoria Capitals took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share the announcement with their followers. 

"Capitals seamer Anrich Nortje will miss out on Season 2 of the #SA20, as he continues his recovery from an injury. The Pretoria family wishes him a speedy recovery," Capitals tweeted.

Nortje sustained the back injury during South Africa’s five-match ODI series against Australia in September 2023, and it is interesting to note that Pretoria Capitals announced experienced all-rounder Hardus Viljoen as Nortje’s replacement in the squad.

Viljoen has become an injury replacement in the SA20 for the second year in a row, as he was part of Joburg Super Kings in the inaugural season as a replacement. Despite not getting picked in the SA20 draft, Viljoen continues to make his name in the tournament.

Pretoria Capitals will clash with Paarl Royals in SA20 2024 opener

Speaking of the side’s assignments, Pretoria Capitals will kick off their SA20 2024 season by taking on Paarl Royals in their first game of the tournament. Both sides will take centre stage at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday, January 12, and despite Nortje’s absence, the Capitals will be keen on putting in a good performance and clinching their first win of the season.

Pretoria Capitals squad for SA20: Migael Pretorius, Jimmy Neesham, Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, Senuran Muthusamy, Wayne Parnell (c), Theunis de Bruyn, Adil Rashid, Will Jacks, Eathan Bosch, Hardus Viljoen, Shane Dadswell, Corbin Bosch, Daryn Dupavillon, Kyle Verreynne, Matthew Boast, Paul Stirling, Phil Salt, Tiaan van Vuuren