‘It’s lekker to be back’: Anrich Nortjé eager to resurrect his Test career
Nortjé played the last of his 19 Tests against West Indies in March 2023.
Anrich Nortjé, the veteran South African fast bowler, is eager to rekindle his Test career after a three-year hiatus. Nortjé, who took 70 wickets in 19 Tests between 2019 and 2023, had to endure the heartache of watching his national cap collecting dust in his house due to persistent back injuries. Despite representing the national T20 squad intermittently, his limited playing time left him sidelined from the longer formats.
However, with multiple fast bowlers sidelined, Nortjé was recently recalled to the 18-member provisional national squad for the first of three Tests against Australia in Durban. The 32-year-old fast bowler expressed his delight at being back in the national red-ball setup, stating, "It’s always been in the plans to be back, and it’s taken a bit longer than I was hoping, but obviously things have happened over the past few years."
Nortjé is working hard to make a comeback, proving his worth in an ongoing training camp. He took 19 scalps in 10 matches for the Rotterdam Rockers in the European T20 Premier League, which concluded two weeks ago. Nortjé has been focusing on refining his run-up and bowling action to ensure no injuries flare up if selected to face the touring Aussies.
He also plans to participate in a two-day intra-squad match ahead of the first Test to gauge his red-ball form. Nortjé remains optimistic, stating, "So far I’ve felt really good. We’ve obviously been in the nets, but we’ve also had a few sessions out here in the middle, and it’s feeling good. I’m keen to see how it goes in the warm-up game as well, but I do think things are moving in the right direction."
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