Anrich Nortje and Quinton de Kock left out of South Africa men's central contracts list for 2024-25 season

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced their central contract list for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger are the new entrants on the list, while Andile Phehlukwayo has regained his national contract.

Zorzi made his debut for South Africa against the West Indies in the two-match Test series at home against the West Indies. The left-handed batter has managed 145 runs in four Tests, averaging 20.71 with a best of 85. Burger, meanwhile, troubled India in the Test series this year, using his height to generate good bounce and picked up 11 wickets.

Dean Elgar (retired), Quinton de Kock, Sisanda Magala, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, and Keegan Petersen have lost their contracts. Nortje's omission comes as surprising as injuries have kept him out of action consistently, including the 2023 World Cup and the entire home summer. The right-arm speedster is expected to play in IPL 2024 to push his case for the T20 World Cup 2024.

South Africa's central contracts: Temba Bavuma, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, and Rassie van der Dussen.

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Uncertainty over Quinton de Kock's inclusion in South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad

Quinton de Kock. (Credits: Getty)

Quinton de Kock, who retired from ODIs following the 2023 World Cup, is yet another prominent inclusion from the contract list. The left-handed batter had pledged to continue playing T20Is, but skipped the series against India at home to be available for the Big Bash League. De Kock managed only 104 runs in 6 innings with a best of 30.

The wicketkeeper-batter fared slightly better at SA20, making 213 runs across 12 innings with a solitary half-century. De Kock didn't play in the CSA T20 Challenge either. According to ESPNCricinfo, there is some uncertainty over his spot for the T20 World Cup 2024, starting on June 2 in the USA and the West Indies.

Nevertheless, the 31-year-old has a promising T20I record, accumulating 2277 runs in 80 matches at an average of 32.52 alongside a century and 14 half-centuries.