Nortje, the 31-year-old right-arm fast bowler, will also miss the remaining matches of the ongoing SA20 league. He last played internationals in June, featuring in the India-South Africa 2024 T20 World Cup final.

What happened to Nortje?

Adding to his long list of fitness woes, Nortje has suffered from a back injury that ruled him out of the 50-over competition. He was supposed to mark his return with the Pakistan white-ball series in February, but was ruled out due to a broken toe.

The back injury also rules him out of Pretoria Capitals' SA20 campaign: he did not play a game this season, but was supposed to use it as a testing ground before the ICC tournament. He last played competitive cricket during the Abu Dhabi T10 League across November and December, before featuring in the CSA T20 Challenge.

According to a CSA press release, Nortje went for scans earlier this week, and "is not expected to recover in time for the 50-over tournament."

Who is his replacement?

A replacement is yet to be named, but Gerald Coetzee is considered to be the easy choice. Coetzee himself has been struggling with injuries since he returned as their leading wicket-taker at the 2023 ODI World Cup, and was pipped by Nortje to a spot in the Champions Trophy due to Nortje's superior experience.

White-ball coach Rob Walter had explained the decision earlier this week:

"They both offer high pace but Anrich has a little bit more experience and potentially some attributes that will stand us in good stead in Pakistan," Walter said. "Gerald was a tough one because he's ultimately done nothing wrong to not be selected."

Nortje's (and South Africa's) injury woes continue

This will now be the third ICC tournament that Nortje misses out, having not played the 2019 World Cup due to a broken thumb and the 2023 edition due to a lower back stress fracture.

With Coetzee himself coming back from injury, SA will be closely monitoring their resources. On Wednesday, Rassie van der Dussen also suffered from a finger injury while fielding during the SA20.

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