Breetzke, Bosch replace injured Pretorius, Simelane in SA squad for Namibia ODIs

Windhoek: Right-handed batter Matthew Breetzke and seam-bowling all-rounder Corbin Bosch have been drafted into the South Africa squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Namibia after Lhuan-dré Pretorius and Andile Simelane were ruled out due to injuries, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Monday.

Pretorius, who finished as the leading run-scorer in the recent T20I tri-series win at the Namibia Cricket Ground, sustained a right adductor muscle injury, while pace-bowling all-rounder Simelane suffered a left abdominal muscle strain. The injuries led to the duo being ruled out from the title clash held on Sunday, which South Africa won by 48 runs.

"Lhuan-dre Pretorius (right adductor muscle injury) and Andile Simelane (left abdominal muscle strain) have been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Namibia, starting on Wednesday. Corbin Bosch and Matthew Breetzke have been called up as replacements," CSA said in its official statement.

The twin injury blows forced South Africa to adjust their combination ahead of the T20I tri-series final against Zimbabwe. In the absence of Pretorius, Connor Esterhuizen retained his spot at the top of the batting order alongside Jordan Hermann, while left-hander Tony de Zorzi was drafted into the middle order to bolster the batting lineup.

Meanwhile, middle-order batter Jason Smith, who missed the earlier matches due to an adductor strain, has fully recovered and joined the squad in Namibia. Although held back from the tri-series decider, Smith remains available for selection for the three-match ODI series starting on Wednesday.

With Simelane sidelined, the Proteas rely on a young pace unit comprising Nqobani Mokoena, Kwena Maphaka, Eathan Bosch, and Duan Jansen to shoulder the seam-bowling duties in the series.

The addition of Bosch and Breetzke, who are capped for the Proteas in all three formats and are coming off playing franchise T20 cricket games in the USA and the West Indies, will help them experiment with combinations ahead of the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, which they are co-hosting with Zimbabwe and Namibia.

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