Ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, South Africa have been dealt a crushing blow after their two key batters, Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira, were confirmed as unavailable for both the World Cup and the preceding three-match T20I series against the West Indies. Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed on Thursday that de Zorzi and Ferreira have been ruled out due to injury setbacks, triggering last-minute changes to the Proteas’ squad. De Zorzi has been unable to recover sufficiently from a right hamstring muscle tear he sustained late last year during the ODI series against India and will not feature in the build-up series or World Cup. Ferreira suffered a fractured left clavicle in an SA20 domestic clash. To replace them, South Africa have included Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs in the T20 World Cup squad. Meanwhile, CSA confirmed that Miller, who sustained an adductor muscle injury on Monday while playing in SA20, will not play any of the T20I matches against the West Indies as he focuses on recovery. Miller’s availability for the T20 World Cup, however, remains uncertain.
South Africa T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram (c), 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.