Johannesburg, Jan 22 (.) South Africa suffered twin setbacks ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with batsmen Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira ruled out of the marquee tournament as well as the preceding three-match T20 International series against West Indies.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed that Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs have been named as replacements for the injured duo.
De Zorzi has failed to recover fully from a right hamstring muscle tear sustained during the ODI series against India last month. CSA said the left-hander has not progressed as expected in his rehabilitation and will not regain match fitness in time for the upcoming T20I series, necessitating his withdrawal from the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Ferreira, meanwhile, suffered a fracture of his left clavicle during a domestic T20 match in South Africa earlier this month, ruling him out of contention.
South Africa’s injury concerns deepened further after senior batsman David Miller sustained an adductor muscle injury on Monday while featuring in the domestic T20 competition. Miller will take no part in the T20I series against West Indies, with CSA stating that his availability for the T20 World Cup will depend on the outcome of a fitness test closer to the tournament.
Despite the injury cloud, Miller has been retained in the provisional World Cup squad, having played a key role in South Africa’s campaign at the T20 World Cup 2024 with several match-winning contributions.
The updated South Africa squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is as follows:
Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith and Tristan Stubbs.
Placed in Group D, the Proteas will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Canada on February 9. . . .