South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje remains optimistic about his selection for the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7. Cricket South Africa (CSA) is expected to announce the squad next week.
Ahead of the announcement, Nortje made a strong case for inclusion with a sensational return of 4/13 for Sunrisers Eastern Cape against the Paarl Royals. These were his best figures since last year’s T20 World Cup.
The 32-year-old speedster noted that the past two months have been ideal in his build-up to a return to the international scene.
“Hopefully I get selected, but for now it’s just about building, taking 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 about trying to execute and work on one or two things. It’s also so busy, so it’s about keeping the momentum going, maintaining a clear head and staying focused. I’d probably call it the ideal build-up, just from where I was a few months ago to now.”
After a long hiatus of more than one and a half years, Nortje was recalled to the T20I side. The right-arm quick, who is not centrally contracted with CSA, did play a couple of matches in the five-match T20I series in India but went wicketless. Still, the signs were encouraging- his pace was up and he bowled in good areas.
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