The Champions Trophy is going to start from February 19, but before that South Africa has suffered a big blow. The team’s star fast bowler Enrique Norkhia is out of this tournament due to injury. Cricket South Africa has confirmed this, stating that he will not be able to participate in this ICC event due to a back injury.
The board said that Norkhia was scanned earlier this week, which revealed the seriousness of his condition. South Africa had already announced their squad for the Champions Trophy, in which Norkhia was also included. Now, due to his injury the team will have to make changes, although the replacement has not been announced yet.
Medical examination found that Norkhia would not be able to recover in time, due to which he would not be able to participate in the tournament. South Africa will begin its Champions Trophy campaign against Afghanistan on February 21 in Karachi.
“Pretoria Capitals fast bowler Enrique Norkhia has been ruled out of the remainder of the Betway SA20 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a back injury,” Cricket South Africa said in a statement. The 31-year-old player, who was earlier included in the Champions Trophy squad, underwent a scan on Monday afternoon, which revealed the severity of the injury.”
The statement further said, “He is not expected to recover in time for the 50-over tournament, where South Africa will begin their campaign against Afghanistan in Karachi, Pakistan on February 21. His replacement will be announced at the appropriate time.”
Norkhia has not featured for South Africa in any format since the T20 World Cup final in June 2024 and was last seen on the field during the Abu Dhabi T10 on December 2. His fitness remains a constant cause of trouble.
