Ngidi, Nortje included in CT squad post pacers' recovery from injuries

Johannesburg: South Africa on Monday included Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje in the Temba Bavuma-led squad for next month’s Champions Trophy after the pacers recovered sufficiently from their respective injuries.

Nortje sustained an injury on his big toe last month which ruled him out of the series against Pakistan while a groin strain in November forced Ngidi to miss the series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

South Africa, the semifinalists of the 2023 ODI World Cup, are placed in group B of the Champions Trophy, They will start their campaign against Afghanistan in Karachi on February 21 before meeting Australia in Rawalpindi on February 25 and their final group game is against England on March 1.

However, frontline pacer Gerald Coetzee was not picked because of the groin injury that he suffered during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban last year.

Subsequently, he missed the second Test at Gqerberha and the entire home rubber against Pakistan.

Pacer Nandre Burger, who suffered a lumbar stress reaction, ahead of the ODI series against Ireland in early October too was not considered for selection.

However, the Proteas trusted the improving fitness of all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, who broke his middle finger in the series against Sri Lanka, but he played in the second Test against Pakistan after the physios gave the green signal. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are the specialist spinners, who will be assisted by Aiden Markram’s part-time off-spin.

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.