Nortje And Ngidi Return To South Africa's Squad For The Champions Trophy

Nortje and Ngidi return to South Africa's squad for the Champions Trophy (Image Source: IANS)

ODI World Cup: Fast bowling duo of Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi have made a return to South Africa's ODI squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy, starting on February 19. South Africa are in Group B of the Champions Trophy alongside Afghanistan, Australia and England.

The duo’s return to the Proteas ODI squad comes after they missed the entire home international season with injuries. While Nortje has made a full recovery from a left toe injury, Ngidi is back to action after recovering from a groin injury.

South Africa’s 15-man squad will be led by Temba Bavuma and includes ten players who were part of the squad that qualified for the semi-finals of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India. Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Wiaan Mulder have been selected for their first senior 50-over ICC tournament.

“This squad boasts a wealth of experience, with many players having consistently performed in high pressure situations. That kind of experience is invaluable in a tournament like this. We’ve managed to maintain the core group of our 2023 World Cup squad, whilst adding fresh talent.”

“Our recent performances at ICC events show that we’re capable of reaching the latter stages of global tournaments. We’re eager to take the next step and go even further in pursuit of the coveted silverware,” said head coach Rob Walter.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) also said its high-performance batting lead Imraan Khan will join the support staff for the Champions Trophy as batting coach. “We’re also looking forward to Imraan joining our support staff. He will be a great asset as we look to strengthen our batting and continue improving as a unit," added Walter.

South Africa will open their tournament against Afghanistan on February 21 in Karachi, before traveling to Rawalpindi to take on Australia on February 15. They will then return to Karachi for their final group stage match against England on March 1.

Top two teams in group A and B will qualify for the semi-finals. The eight-team tournament will be played in Pakistan and the UAE, and is being played for the first time since 2017. Pakistan are the current holders of the trophy after beating India in the final at the Oval.

CSA also said the Proteas squad for the preceding tri-series against hosts Pakistan and New Zealand, set to happen from February 8-14, will be announced in due course.

Top two teams in group A and B will qualify for the semi-finals. The eight-team tournament will be played in Pakistan and the UAE, and is being played for the first time since 2017. Pakistan are the current holders of the trophy after beating India in the final at the Oval.

Article Source: IANS