Nortje hopes 'ideal build-up' earns him T20 World Cup 2026 berth

South Africa quick Anrich Nortje has described the last two months as the "ideal build up" to a full international return as he hopes to make the T20 World Cup squad, which will be announced next week. Nortje opened his SA20 campaign for Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) with a searing 4 for 13 as Paarl Royals were bowled out for the lowest score of the tournament - 49 - and Nortje registered his best figures since last year's T20 World Cup.

It is the first time Nortje has played in South Africa's franchise T20 competition since season one after injuries sidelined him from edition two and three with two different stress reactions of the back. He has played just two matches for South Africa in the last 18 months and was out of action between October 2024 and April 2025, and between May and November this year recovering from his injuries. Though Nortje is no longer centrally contracted to Cricket South Africa - by his own choice - he is available for the national side and in line for selection for the T20 World Cup.

"Hopefully I get selected but for now it's just to try and build, take it game by game and day by day," he said in Paarl after SEC's SA20 opener. "I had a nice little build up starting with the CSA T20 challenge and then got the call up for the India series. I'd call it the ideal build up. From here on it's just to try and execute and work on one or two things. It's also so busy, so it's just to try and keep momentum going, keep a clear head and keep focus. I'd probably call it the ideal build up just from where I was a few months ago to now."

The nature of the SA20 means that Nortje could end up playing five matches in 10 days at the start of the tournament and, if SEC go through the playoffs, 13 in a month which will put his body to the test. Given the spate of injuries that have dogged his career, including ones that kept him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy, it would be understandable if he has nerves but Nortje is putting those aside for now.

"You've got to trust your body and you can't worry about this or that. I don't think it's something I ever don't trust," he said. "When something's wrong then it's probably too late but, in general, you have to trust your body. You have to trust whatever you have to do in order to get the ball in the right area and you've got to know that the work that you do is the right work. When I'm out injured, I'm just motivated to get back better and build on what I can remember. It's probably the best time to build up when you're not injured and you go into an off-season but there's not really a proper off season anymore. There's always cricket so you've just got to try and remember as much as you can from last season and then take it into the next one."

After finding his rhythm in the CSA T20 Challenge, where he was the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker, Nortje played two of South Africa' five T20Is in India but went wicketless. Still, the signs were good. His pace was up and his discipline improved in game two but it was in Paarl, where he really roared back. On a surface that was typically slow and low but on which a few deliveries kicked up, Nortje used the short ball especially well to claim three of his four wickets. The fourth was a beauty too: full and shaping away, and bowling Delana Potgieter as Nortje showed off his full range.

At this early stage, he is the tournament's joint-leading bowler and now that he is back, Nortje is also eyeing more involvement with the national side, which could include a return to longer formats. He has not played ODIs in over two years, since a home series against Australia, and hasn't played a Test since February 2023. But with an eight-Test summer next season and the home ODI World Cup in 2027, Nortje hopes to be a part of the plans.

He has already entertained a red-ball comeback and was due to play against Pakistan last season after Gerald Coetzee injured his groin, but broke his toe in the build-up. "It's well known I was going play last year against Pakistan in the Test matches as well so I'm definitely still open to the idea," he said. "But it's got to be a build-up. Obviously now it's only T20 cricket so there's no point in even trying to think about anything else but once it gets to 50-over and then maybe whatever it is after that then we build it up from there with bowling loads and workloads. It's definitely not out of the picture. I would love to play Tests again as it's been a very long time but only time will tell."

South African players will focus on T20 cricket for the next six months with the SA20, T20 World Cup and with many of them involved in the IPL, including Nortje. He was bought by Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2026 auction earlier this month. Their attention will turn to Tests from next September, when they host Australia (three Tests), Bangladesh (two) and England (three) in a bumper home programme that will form the bulk of their World Test Championship fixtures.