Cape Town: South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the series decider against Australia due to a mild groin injury, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) opting against naming his replacement in the squad.
The three-match series is currently locked at 1-1, with the final Test starting at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday. Nortje suffered the injury while bowling in the first innings of the second Test in Gqeberha on Wednesday, and scans done on the following day confirmed the injury. The pacer walked off midway through his fourth over on the fourth morning at St George’s Park and did not return, as he spent the rest of the match in the dressing room. The setback cut short a promising return to Test cricket for Nortje, who had not played a red-ball game in more than three-and-a-half years before the series opener in Durban.
Nortje had been expected to be rested for the second Test, but South Africa retained him in the playing eleven after he came through the opener without any trouble. The length of Nortje’s lay-off is not yet clear. IANS
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