Tony de Zorzi’s short tour of England is over. The left-hander damaged his left hamstring while sliding on the Headingley rope during Tuesday’s series opener and will fly home for scans rather than risk further trouble. South Africa, already 1–0 up in the three-match contest, will finish the 50-over leg without their reserve batter but, crucially, with Matthew Breetzke available again after his own hamstring twinge.
The injury occurred late in England’s modest 131 all out. De Zorzi prevented a boundary off Jos Buttler, felt the hamstring tighten and left the field. Medical staff advised no more time on the park; he would only have batted if England had set something substantial. With South Africa cruising to a six-wicket win, the issue never arose.
Because Breetzke has completed his rehabilitation, selectors have resisted calling up another player. The right-hander is expected to slot straight back into the middle order on Thursday in Southampton, where South Africa can wrap up the series. De Zorzi, the spare batter on tour, was only playing because Breetzke missed the last ODI in Australia and the first in England.
Kagiso Rabada remains another worry. The fast bowler sat out the Australian ODIs with ankle inflammation and was not risked in Leeds. Seamer Codi Yusuf, fresh from a strong county stint with Durham, has joined the squad as bowling cover, a hint that Rabada’s return may be pushed back to the T20s later this month.
Captain Temba Bavuma is also being managed carefully after tearing a hamstring in June’s World Test Championship final. He has featured in three of the last four 50-over matches and is set to miss one of the next two to avoid over-loading the muscle. South Africa’s medical staff have been conservative with Bavuma since the original injury and are expected to remain so with the World Cup less than twelve months away.
For the coaching group, these disruptions are not ideal, yet the immediate goal remains clear: close out the series, then reassess workloads. A second-string batting line-up held firm in Leeds; doing so again would underline the depth now being built. With England still chasing combinations of their own, Thursday’s encounter should offer both sides more clues than headlines.
The third and final ODI is scheduled for Sunday at The Oval.
