🏏 **Nortje**'s 4-13 Fires Up T20 World Cup Hopes

💡

Key Takeaways

1📊 Nortje's 4 for 13 bowls Paarl Royals out for record 49 in SA20.
2🏆 Best figures since T20 World Cup; first SA20 since season one.
3💡 Over 150kph after 18-month injury hell with just 2 caps.
4🔮 T20 World Cup 2026 squad next week—prime candidate.
5💬 "Ideal build-up" says Nortje on fiery return.

"He has played only two matches for South Africa in the last 18 months but started SA20 2026 with a four-for"

Anrich Nortje ignited his SA20 2026 campaign with a devastating 4 for 13 in three overs, bowling Paarl Royals out for a record-low 49 as Sunrisers Eastern Cape cruised. The South Africa quick hails this as his "ideal build-up" for a T20 World Cup 2026 squad recall, next week. After 18 months of just two caps and back injuries, this vintage spell—his best since last World Cup—signals a roaring comeback.

Nortje's pace terrorized with speeds over 150kph, absent from SA20 seasons two and three due to stress fractures (Oct 2024-Apr 2025, May onwards). His two matches in 18 months pale against pre-injury hauls like T20 World Cup 2022's 15 wickets. In SA20's high-octane fray, this performance revives Proteas's bowling arsenal amid World Cup qualifiers.

Lethal Return Echoes Peak Form

Nortje's 4-13 demolished Paarl Royals, matching his career-best economy in a tournament-low total. Stats: over 100 T20Is wickets at under 20 average pre-injury; compares to Jofra Archer's injury-plagued returns. This three-over blitz, post-rehab, positions him ahead of Marco Jansen for South Africa's pace spearhead.

SA20 Spotlight on Proteas Rebuild

Boosts Sunrisers Eastern Cape's title defense while eyeing South Africa's World Cup berth; injuries exposed depth issues, but Nortje's fire strengthens qualification scenarios against India-Sri Lanka hosts.

World Cup Berth Beckons

T20 World Cup squad announces soon—Nortje's form demands inclusion. Track SA20 for his wickets; Proteas fans, this resurgence could redefine 2026.