He has scored over 500 runs in the 50-over format.
South Africa batter Tony de Zorzi has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series against England, due to a left hamstring strain. The batter did not get a chance to bat in the first match of the ODI series. The 28-year-old is expected to fly back to South Africa to undergo scans which will determine the extent of his injury.
However, the replacement for the left-handed batter has not been named yet. Having said that, the position in the squad is set to be filled by Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) player Matthew Breetzke. The latter is reported to have recovered from his injury completely, and will be available for the 2nd ODI.
Though it will be a big loss to the Proteas camp in the midst of the ongoing series, it might not hit their chances. The left-handed batter is an opener for the team in almost all formats of the game. But with Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton taking up the opening spot, the probability of de Zorzi opening seems distant.
Tony de Zorzi has registered over 550 runs in the 17 ODIs he has played, and most of those runs have come while he has opened the batting. De Zorzi has not batted for South Africa in ODIs below No.4, and hence, his absence might not hit the South Africans very dearly.
With players like Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis coming into the frame, the batting line-up looks sorted for the Proteas. Additionally, de Zorzi has scored a fifty and a hundred in the 50-over format. But both of those have come while he opened the innings.
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The visitors won the toss and elected to field first in the first of the three-match ODI series. Little did anyone know, that the fixture was going to be a one-sided affair. England started decently, and were reduced for 82/3 in 14 overs in the first innings. However, that is when things turned massively in favour of the Proteas.
The hosts were bundled out for a mere 131, leaving very little chance of recovery. Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder were the destructors-in-chief with four and three wickets respectively. None of the middle-order batters were able to get going in the first innings, as almost all were dismissed after trying to score at a quick rate.
As for the Proteas, all it required was the brilliance of Aiden Markram. He scored 86 off just 55 deliveries, and clinched the game for the visitors within no time. Most of the English players have come into the three-match ODI series after playing in The Hundred. Before that, they played a hectic five-match Test series against India. Many of the experts believe that it might have affected their state of mind with reference to the change in formats.
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