South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the upcoming Champions Trophy and the remaining SA20 tournament due to a back injury, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed 

Nortje suffered an injury following the scans done on Monday; he will therefore miss the Champion Trophy, for which South Africa is scheduled to play Afghanistan at their first game in Karachi on February 21. His injury is a heavy blow to South Africa.

Nortje’s last international assignment was in June last year and last played on December 2 during the Abu Dhabi T10. He had decided to sit out from Tests in the 2024/25 season, opting to keep his brittle body ready for Tests and focusing on his franchise career. Nortje was in South Africa’s squad for the recent white-ball series against Pakistan, but a mishap during training, when he was struck on the toe by a David Miller yorker, led to him breaking his toe.

He has also been benched for matches in the past because of injuries; this was when he sat out the 2019 ODI World Cup with a fractured thumb and didn’t feature at the 2023 World Cup because of a suspected stress fracture.

CSA has yet to announce a replacement for Nortje in the Champions Trophy, though Gerald Coetzee is considered a strong contender. The 2025 Champions Trophy, co-hosted by Pakistan and the UAE, will start on February 19. The tournament marks its return after an eight-year hiatus, with the last edition held in 2017.

With Pakistan as the defending champions, this team will be looking to defend their title this year, and South Africa, led by Temba Bavuma, will look to do very well and take it all the way this year.