South Africa tearaway pacer Anrich Nortje said he is setting his sights on a comeback to Tests after a gap of nearly three-and-a-half years, adding that he has been quietly grinding behind the scenes to rebuild his red-ball workload ahead of the upcoming three-match series against Australia, starting on October 9.
Following a spate of severe back injuries, including stress fractures, Nortje spent much of the past three years operating primarily as a T20 bowler. Nortje, 32, last played a Test match against West Indies in March 2023 and has not featured in a first-class game since.
“The stuff that I’ve been working on myself as well has been (on) alignments, (and) trying to get the action better, stronger, more sustainable and more reliable. “You don’t think of the tough times in T20 cricket. You just think about executing skills there, where in Tests, you think about the tough times, the good times, the hard work and think that gets you through some sessions. It was a tough series. I enjoyed the series, and learned a lot from it, but we wanted to get them in South Africa and do well. That’s what’s in my head,” added Nortje. Nortje’s timing could prove crucial for South Africa, as Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka, and Ottneil Baartman are already ruled out of the series, while Kagiso Rabada is monitoring a hamstring concern as the Proteas squad prepares for a two-day intra-squad practice match. Nortje also praised the progress made by the Test side under head coach Shukri Conrad and expressed his desire to contribute to their ongoing success. “The way the team’s progressed over the last few years has been amazing under coach Shuks – it’s been really good, the way they’ve played and the way they’ve gone about things. The guys have grown quite a bit. They’ve played a lot. They’ve done really well. They’ve been successful. Hopefully, I can just add on to that. I’m very, very keen to get going and be on the park, and try to do well for the country.”
the hunger for him to return to red-ball cricket remains undiminished Although Nortje hasn’t bowled more than five overs in a single competitive match since April 2023. “Hopefully, I can just add 1%, 2%, (or) whatever it might be to help the team.
And then I’ve been sending it through to coach Piet and seeing if it all checks out,” he said. “Personally, we always said we want to try and rectify things when we get them back home.
