Tony de Zorzi will sit out South Africa’s opening Test match against Australia, set to take place in Durban next Friday, owing to a hamstring issue. Unfortunately, de Zorzi becomes the fifth South African player to be affected by hamstring problems in recent months, following Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, and Kwena Maphaka. Although Cricket South Africa described de Zorzi’s injury as “mild,” it is sufficiently troublesome to prevent his participation in the Test.
Cricket South Africa has announced an expanded squad of 18 players and has decided against replacing de Zorzi. The final squad of 15 will be determined early next week.
In light of de Zorzi’s absence, Marques Ackerman, a promising No.3 batsman, may make his Test debut. Ackerman, who has impressed with South Africa A, notably scoring 256 against Bangladesh A, is vying for a place alongside Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, and David Bedingham, who are other contenders for the batting order.
In terms of the other players dealing with hamstring injuries, there is a generally optimistic outlook. Rabada, injured during winter training, is included in the preliminary squad, with his fitness to be determined after an upcoming intra-squad match. Ngidi, Maphaka, and Baartman, however, will not participate in this series but are expected to feature later this summer when South Africa faces Bangladesh and England.
At the launch event for the 2027 ODI World Cup schedule, Ngidi provided a brief update on his recovery. “I’m not allowed to disclose anything. But all I can tell you is, so far, so good. I’m back running already. That’s about as much as I can let you know,” he commented.
Though hamstring issues have posed challenges for South Africa, the team remains focused and ready to face Australia in the upcoming series.
