Credit: Twitter
The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 is just a couple of weeks away and South Africa have dealt a major blow as their star pacers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala have been ruled out of the marquee event due to injuries. Both Nortje and Magala failed to recover from their injuries and have been replaced by Andile Phelukwayo and Lizaad Williams in the Proteas' World Cup squad.
During South Africa's five-match ODI series against Australia, Nortje featured in the second ODI at home and bowled just five overs before suffering a back spasm. The 29-year-old, who missed the 2019 World Cup due to injury, failed to recover and was ruled out of the remainder of the Australia series.
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On the other hand, Sisanda Magala, who also played just one of the five-match ODI series against Australia, suffered a knee injury during the third ODI. The 32-year-old bowled just four overs in his only game against the Aussies as he alongside Nortje was initially named in South Africa's 15-member squad for the quadrennial showpiece and the Proteas didn't want to take risks ahead of the World Cup in India.
The ODI World Cup 2023 is set to take place in India from October 5 to November 19 in India. On Thursday, South Africa Cricket took to X (Twitter) as their white-ball coach Rob Walter confirmed Nortje and Magala have been replaced by Andile Phelukwayo and Lizaad Williams.
The South African team are set to depart for India on Saturday, September 23 as they will face Afghanistan and New Zealand for two warm-up games on September 29 and October 2 respectively ahead of the World Cup. The Proteas will begin their World Cup 2023 campaign against Sri Lanka on October 7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.