South Africa has been forced to change its Champions Trophy squad after injuries to multiple key bowlers just days before the tournament. The country’s cricket board has confirmed two alterations to its ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad: Corbin Bosch will replace the injured Anrich Nortje, while 18-year-old left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka joins as a travelling reserve.
South Africa’s campaign suffered a major blow even before the competition began when its pace spearhead, Anrich Nortje, was ruled out on 15 January due to a back injury. His expected replacement, Gerald Coetzee, also suffered a setback during training, ruling him out of the tournament as well.
With limited time to finalize changes, South Africa has turned to Corbin Bosch—who made an impressive Test debut against Pakistan—to fill the void left by Nortje. The 29-year-old, who has played only one ODI, now has the chance to make an impact on the big stage.
In another adjustment, young left-arm pacer Kwena Maphaka has been added as a travelling reserve, likely as insurance for Lungi Ngidi, who has recently encountered fitness concerns. Maphaka, an emerging talent, will provide additional depth to the Proteas’ pace attack in case further injuries occur.
Both Bosch and Maphaka will also join South Africa’s ODI tri-series squad—a preparatory series for the Champions Trophy featuring Pakistan and New Zealand. The duo, along with batter Tony de Zorzi, will be available from the second match onward due to their commitments in the SA20 playoffs.
With the Champions Trophy fast approaching, almost every team is grappling with injuries to star players. South Africa will hope its squad reshuffle brings stability as it looks to mount a strong challenge in the global event against some of the best teams in the world.