Nortje gets nod for S Africa's T20 WC campaign

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 2 (AFP): Injury-prone fast bowler Anrich Nortje was on Friday named in South Africa's 15-man squad for next month's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The 32-year-old has had a long battle with injuries but returned to action when he played in two internationals against India last month.
He was South Africa's leading bowler in the 2024 World Cup, taking 15 wickets in nine matches.
Nortje, fellow paceman Kagiso Rabada and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj were included despite seldom playing for their country since the 2024 tournament.
Rabada has been used sparingly in the shortest format and played in only five of South Africa's 29 T20 internationals since they were beaten by India in the 2024 final in Barbados.
He missed the series in India because of a rib injury but returned to action in the current SA20 franchise tournament.
Maharaj has also played in only five matches since the Barbados match.
There were several surprises among the batsmen with Tristan Stubbs, veteran Reeza Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton missing out, while Tony de Zorzi and Jason Smith, each with only two T20I caps, were selected.
Selection convener Patrick Moroney said "big decisions" had to be made about the batting order.