George Linde, the left-arm spin bowling allrounder, has been added to the South African squad as a traveling reserve. This is in response to Aiden Markram’s injury to his right hamstring during the match against England, which forced him to sit out for the remainder of the game. A fitness test will be conducted during Tuesday evening’s training session to determine Markram’s availability for the upcoming semi-final against New Zealand.
Among the extensive roster of injured players, Markram is the most recent addition. Prior to the tournament, fast bowlers Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, and Lizaad Williams were all ruled out due to injuries.
On Tuesday evening, Linde will join the South African camp. However, he will not replace Markram in the squad officially unless he is ruled out and the ICC’s event technical committee approves the swap. It seems that Linde has been included in the group as a contingency plan for a potential final against India in Dubai.
This decision takes into account the drier conditions and the need for an extra spinner. Currently, South Africa already has two specialist spinners in their squad: Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi. Of the two, only Maharaj has previous experience playing in Pakistan. In contrast, India played with four spinners in their recent match against New Zealand in Dubai.
Linde was instrumental in MI Cape Town’s victory during the 2025 SA20, playing a crucial role in their first title win. Throughout 11 games, he had an impressive performance with both bat and ball, scoring a total of 161 runs at a strike rate of 153.33 and taking 11 wickets with an economy rate of 6.29.
He continued to showcase his talents while representing Western Province in the One-Day Challenge Division One, scoring 106 runs and claiming four wickets in just five games.
In addition to the squad, left-arm fast bowler Kwena Maphaka is serving as a traveling reserve. On another note, Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have both recuperated from their sickness and are expected to attend practice tonight.
