Anrich is a South African pace bowler. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on November 16, 1993. The right-arm fast bowler has been named to South Africa’s national squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.
Career
Domestic Career
Nortje represented the Eastern Province in the 2016 African T20 Cup. He only appeared in the first two games, returning with a total batting average of 0/50 in 6 overs. For the remainder of the tournament, he was benched. The tournament was won by Eastern Province.
In 2018, he was selected to play for the Cape Town Blitz in the inaugural Mzansi Super League T20. Nortje was a member of the Cape Town Blitz in the 2018 Mzansi Super League. He was purchased for Rs.350,000 by the Blitz. However, due to an ankle injury, he was unable to compete in the entire tournament.
IPL Career
In the IPL 2019 mini-auction, he was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Nortje was forced to withdraw from the IPL before the start of the tournament due to another injury, this time to his leg. He did not get a bid in the 2020 auctions, but
Nortje was appointed as a last-minute substitute for England allrounder Chris Woakes for the IPL 2020 season by the Delhi Capitals. In his first season with the Capitals, he’ll be part of a formidable fast-bowling unit that includes fellow South African Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Keemo Paul, and Mohit Sharma, among others.
International Career
On March 3, 2019, at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, the 25-year-old made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka. They only managed 231 runs before being bowled out in 47 overs. Kusal Mendis was the only player to reach the half-century mark. Nortje, a debutant, bowled well on the day, returning with figures of 7-1-33-1. Quinton de Kock (81) and Faf du Plessis (112*) shared a 136-run partnership as South Africa easily chased down the total with 8 wickets in hand.
He was selected to South Africa’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in April 2019. However, due to a hand injury, he was forced to withdraw from the tournament on May 7, 2019, and was replaced by Chris Morris.
On September 18, 2019, Anrich made his T20I debut for South Africa against India, bowling three overs and conceding 27 runs without taking a wicket. He was also chosen for the home series against Australia, where he bowled his maximum quota of 4 overs in both matches and picked up two wickets.
Nortje was called up for the Test side soon after his T20 debut, and on October 10, 2019, he made his Test debut for South Africa against India. He gave up 100 runs without taking a wicket in the first inning as South Africa lost by an innings and 137 runs. Nortje took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket in the fourth Test against England in January 2020.
Background
Anrich Nortje is a genuine swift who has been described by none other than Dale Steyn as “highly entertaining.” Nortje, like Steyn, is not from a major city, but rather from the town of Uitenhage, north of Port Elizabeth, which is home to Africa’s largest Volkswagen plant.