The left-arm spin all-rounder George Linde will join the South African squad as a traveling reserve, providing cover for Aiden Markram at the Champions Trophy. Markram suffered a right hamstring injury while fielding against England and had to leave the field for the remainder of the game. He will undergo a fitness test on Tuesday evening to assess his condition before the semi-final match against New Zealand.
Markram is the latest addition to a list of injured South African players. Prior to the tournament, fast bowlers Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, and Lizaad Williams were already ruled out due to injuries.
Linde is expected to join the South African team on Tuesday evening. He will not officially replace Markram in the squad unless Markram is declared unfit and the ICC’s event technical committee approves the change. South Africa’s decision to include Linde suggests they are preparing for a potential final in Dubai against India, where spin bowling is likely to be more effective. The team currently has two specialist spinners, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, in their squad, though only Maharaj has prior playing experience in Pakistan. Notably, India utilized four spinners in their recent match against New Zealand in Dubai.
In the 2025 SA20 league, Linde was instrumental in MI Cape Town’s title victory. Throughout 11 matches, he scored 161 runs with a strike rate of 153.33 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 6.29. More recently, representing Western Province in the One-Day Challenge Division One, he accumulated 106 runs and claimed four wickets in five games.
Left-arm fast bowler Kwena Maphaka is also traveling with the squad as a reserve player. Meanwhile, Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have recovered from illness and are scheduled to train this evening.
