Anrich Nortje is back in South Africa’s Test plans for the first time since early 2023, but a place against Australia is far from guaranteed. He is one of seven fast bowlers in an 18-man preliminary squad, and the final 15 cannot hold them all. A two-day intra-squad game is meant to show whether the red-ball route suits him, and that match carries real weight. The three-Test series opens at Kingsmead on 9 October, so the decision is a close one.
Conrad Backs a Bowler Who Wants Every Format
Shukri Conrad said Nortje told the team during the T20 World Cup that he still wants to play every format. That is a notable message from a bowler who has spent three years away from Tests, and the coach took it seriously rather than treating it as passing talk. He described the quick as meticulous and professional to the point of keeping spreadsheets on every detail of his preparation, which is the kind of reputation selectors trust when a long layoff is involved.
The two-day intra-squad game was designed to show whether Test cricket is the right route for him, and that framing matters because it treats the comeback as an experiment rather than a gift. Nortje spoke about getting goosebumps at the thought of a return, and said that putting the cap on again would be his number one wish. Those are not the words of a man treating this as a formality, and they suggest the motivation is real and not merely polite.
Anrich Nortje Test return against Australia
The numbers back the intent. Nortje has 70 wickets in 19 Tests at 26.71, and 234 first-class wickets in 67 matches at 26.17. Those averages are almost identical, which suggests his red-ball form is no weaker than his record at Test level, and that matters for a selection panel that wants evidence of continuity across the longer format. It is a point in his favour that the figures hold up in both settings.
He has spent three years building towards this. He has worked with long-time coach Piet Botha, used video analysis and gradually built up his bowling loads rather than rushing back. After so long away from the format, that patient workload plan is the best evidence that his body can handle five days of bowling, and it explains why the selectors are willing to look again after a long gap.
Rabada’s Hamstring and the Pace Queue
Kagiso Rabada is in the squad with a right hamstring injury. Conrad said the selectors want to give him every chance of being available for the first Test, and the two-day game would give a clearer picture of his match readiness. If he is cleared, he walks into the attack, and that changes the maths for everyone else competing for the remaining places in the group.
The other pace options are Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson. A final 15 leaves little room for everyone, so at least one quick will miss out, and the selectors will not be sentimental about it. Nortje’s record and his preparation give him a strong claim, but a long list of rivals means he must show sharpness quickly in whatever time the game gives him.
Injuries That Shaped the Squad
Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Ottneil Baartman are all out with hamstring injuries, which is why seven pacers were named in the preliminary group. The depth is a hedge against more breakdowns, since fast bowlers rarely come through a three-Test run unscathed. The final 15 will be named after the Durban camp, so the picture will only clear once the group has trained together. That leaves the bowlers to prove themselves in training and in the intra-squad game.
The series runs through Durban from 9 to 13 October, Gqeberha from 18 to 22 October and Cape Town from 27 to 31 October. Nobody can say yet how the Anrich Nortje Test return against Australia will unfold, but the schedule offers a chance to ease him in. A fit Rabada would shut the door in Durban, yet three Tests in three weeks keep it open for a bowler who stays sharp. Either way, the selectors have plenty to weigh.