T20 World Cup: South Africa Turn to Rickelton, Stubbs Amid Injury Crisis

After Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira were ruled out of contention due to injury setbacks, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced adjustments to their team for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs were selected as batsmen. Due to a number of fitness issues, the Proteas have already faced difficulties in the event, which India and Sri Lanka will host next month. As a result, the CSA has changed their 15-man roster.

Due to a fracture to his left clavicle sustained during the SA20 match between the Johannesburg Super Kings and the Pretoria Capitals at the Wanderers Stadium on January 17, Ferreira is also out of the running for the World Cup. Rickelton's inclusion follows his contentious exclusion from the first roster, which was revealed on January 2. Many people had criticized that choice, particularly when the southpaw scored consecutive hundreds in the SA20. However, Stubbs maintains the selectors' trust in spite of respectable returns.

T20 World Cup Update:

JUST IN: Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs replace Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira in South Africa's squad for the #T20WorldCup 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/DowX1pgaqS

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 22, 2026

In the SA20, Rickelton has been playing well, scoring 337 runs at a strike rate of 156.01 and an average of 42.12. De Zorzi had not played competitive cricket for almost two months at the time due to injury, therefore his earlier omission had drawn criticism. Later, CSA explained that de Zorzi's recovery had not advanced as anticipated, excluding him from the World Cup and the forthcoming West Indies T20I series.

On February 9, South Africa will play Canada in Ahmedabad to begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. The Proteas, who are positioned in Group D with Afghanistan, the UAE, Canada, and New Zealand, will try to capitalize on their recent achievements. They will aim to win another ICC title after winning the World Test Championship the previous year. South Africa advanced to the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup but lost to India.

Watch this space for more cricket news and updates.