Gerald Coetzee suffers an injury after being tackled by Anrich Nortje, South Africa shocked

Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee recently suffered a hamstring problem during the ongoing SA20 which has further depleted South Africa’s fast bowling stock ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

It is a big blow for South Africa as Coetzee was seen as a replacement for experienced fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a back injury.

Gerald Coetzee was not named in South Africa’s starting squad for the tournament, preferring Anrich Nortje ahead of him. Both are similar types of bowlers and are capable of high speeds. However, injuries to both will affect their team combination.

Also read: Harbhajan Singh hits out at Gautam Gambhir over locker room leak allegations against Sarfaraz Khan

Gerald Coetzee uncertain for Champions Trophy

Gerald Coetzee did not play for Joburg Super Kings in the match against Pretoria Capitals in SA20. According to ESPNCricinfo, Coetzee has a hamstring problem and is likely to be out of the tournament for several weeks, putting his participation in the Champions Trophy in serious doubt.

Although his condition is being closely monitored, it is unlikely that he will be able to continue to participate in the SA20. The news of his injury is not yet official, but it is believed that he has just returned from injury and was expected to be included in the playing line-up for this match.

Although he did not play in this match, he did play in the Super Kings’ last match against the Durban Super Giants played at Kingsmead in Durban. It was his first professional match after the Test match against Sri Lanka at the same ground where he suffered a groin injury.

As a result, he was ruled out of the entire international summer. He returned in the match against the Titans in October. He seemed fitter and faster on his return and also played all the T20Is against India. He took 4-85 in the first Test against Sri Lanka before being dismissed once again.

South African Fast Bowling Reserves

South African white ball head coach Rob Walter previously revealed that Gerald Coetzee is in line for a place in South Africa’s squad for the Champions Trophy in 2025. But Nortje’s experience gave him the edge over Coetzee.

If the 24-year-old quick somehow manages to be fit before the Champions Trophy, he is likely to travel to Pakistan for the tournament as a replacement for Anrich Nortje. If Coetzee is deemed unfit, South Africa will have to dig deep into their fast bowling reserves.

Kwena Maphaka, Corbin Bosch and Ottniel Baartman are some of the options that can be selected for the Champions Trophy. Maphak recently impressed on his Test debut and is seen as the future of South African fast bowling after Kagiso Rabada.

Bosch recently made his ODI debut and is also a capable lower-order batsman. Meanwhile, Baartman has excellent death bowling skills which makes him a tempting option for the subcontinent.

South Africa Fixtures for Champions Trophy 2025

South Africa are in Group B of the Champions Trophy along with England, Australia and Afghanistan. They will start the campaign with a match against Afghanistan on February 21 in Karachi.

The Proteas will then play Australia and England on February 25 and March 1 respectively. South Africa’s recent performance in ICC tournaments has been impressive. They were finalists in the 2024 T20 World Cup and also managed to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship where they will face Australia at Lord’s.