Windhoek, September 7 (Daily Kiran) : South Africa has announced the inclusion of right-handed batsman Matthew Britzke and fast-bowling all-rounder Corbin Bosch for their upcoming ODI series against Namibia, scheduled from September 9 to 13. This decision follows injuries sustained by Luhan-Dre Pretorius and Andile Simelane, who will miss the matches.
Pretorius suffered an injury to his right adductor muscle, while Simelane is dealing with a strain in his left abdominal muscle. Both players were unable to participate in the recent title match, which South Africa won by 48 runs. The absence of Pretorius is particularly significant, as he was the top scorer in the recently concluded tri-series, amassing 226 runs at an impressive average of 56.50.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed, “Luhan-Dre Pretorius (right adductor injury) and Andile Simelane (left abdominal strain) have been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Namibia starting Wednesday. Corbin Bosch and Matthew Britzke have been called up as replacements.”
The injuries forced South Africa to adjust their lineup ahead of the T20 tri-series final against Zimbabwe. In Pretorius’s absence, Connor Esterhuizen will maintain his position at the top of the batting order alongside Jordan Hermann, while left-handed batsman Tony de Zorzi has been added to strengthen the middle order.
Meanwhile, middle-order batsman Jason Smith, who missed previous matches due to an adductor strain, has fully recovered and will join the team in Namibia. Although he was not selected for the decisive match of the tri-series, Smith is available for the upcoming ODIs.
With Simelane sidelined, the Proteas will rely on young fast bowlers like Nkobani Mokoena, Quena Mapaka, Ethan Bosch, and Duan Johnson to lead their pace attack in the series.
The inclusion of Bosch and Britzke will allow South Africa to experiment with various combinations as they prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which they will co-host with Zimbabwe and Namibia. Both players have experience in all three formats and have recently participated in T20 franchise cricket in the USA and West Indies.