South African paceman Anrich Nortje sidelined again

From his hip to his back and, most recently, a fractured toe, it's been a torrid run of injuries for the man who is considered one of the fastest seamers in world cricket.

Nortje's injuries have seen him spend scant amount of time in Proteas colours over the last 18 months. He has played just two Indian Premier League matches this year and last played for the national side in June 2024.

The latest setback has been described as a "stress reaction" by Cricket South Africa, though no further details were revealed.

"We will have to see the length of the time that he will be out and the extent of the injury,I really feel for him," said head coach Shukri Conrad.

"He is a superstar fast bowler and having to deal with setback after setback can't be easy. We will wait to see how serious it is.

"Naturally we are worried. In Anrich's case this is the second or third stress reaction in his back. It is too early to make a diagnosis and we are definitely not drawing a line through this name. He is 31 years old and we are going to give him every chance to come back. We will have to see what the medical team think is the best way forward."

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