Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortje will be unable to participate in the final match of the series against Australia due to a minor groin injury. The South African cricket team decided not to name a replacement in the squad.
The three-match series is level at 1-1. The final match is scheduled for Tuesday in Newlands, Cape Town. Nortje's injury occurred during bowling in the first innings of the second match in Gqeberha, and the examination conducted the following day confirmed the extent of the damage.
The bowler was forced to leave the field midway through his fourth over on Thursday morning at St George's Park and did not return, spending the rest of the match in the dressing room. This incident interrupts Nortje's promising return to Test cricket, as he had not played a red-ball match in over three and a half years before the series in Durban.
Initially, it was expected that Nortje would rest in the second match, but South Africa kept him in the starting eleven after he successfully completed the first match without any issues. The duration of his break has not yet been determined.
South Africa must now choose between Gerald Coetzee, who has not played a Test match for almost two years, all-rounder Corbin Bosch, and seamer Dean Patterson to fill the spot vacated by Nortje in the starting eleven. These three were part of the squad from the first match.
If South Africa prefers a spinner, left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Senuran Mutusami may also be considered. South Africa is monitoring several other injured players ahead of the busy summer.
Lungi Ngidi, who sustained a hamstring injury in the first round of the first-class national tournament, is expected to return to play next month and could feature against Bangladesh. Ottniel Bartman, who also suffered a hamstring injury, returned to the Dolphins squad for the Pro20 competition on Friday, scoring 4/12.
There are no updates regarding left-arm fast bowler Quvin Maphaka or batsman Tony de Zorzi, both of whom sustained hamstring injuries in the third ODI against Australia last month.