He has played only two T20Is.
South Africa announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which is slated to begin from February 7. The South Africa squad had a few surprises, including Tony de Zorzi and Jason Smith. The squad also had a couple of big omissions in Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs.
While the omissions were pretty obvious, the inclusion of de Zorzi has raised eyebrows among the Cricket community.
Tony de Zorzi, who is part of the Durban’s Super Giants side, is yet to feature in the SA20 2026. Across three editions, he has featured in only 11 games and doesn’t really have a good record. The 28-year old has managed to score 189 runs at an average of 17 while striking at 129.
Speaking of his overall T20 career, he has 1387 runs to his credit at an average of 19.53 and strike rate of 119. Despite these returns and not finding a place in the SA20, he has been chosen over the likes of Stubbs and Rickelton. So it is understandable if fans are asking questions. But the decision is well thought and has merit in it.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka, where the pitches are traditionally slower and offer significant assistance for spinners. Batting on these pitches is a completely different challenge for the teams from outside the subcontinent.
South Africa recently clinched Test series victories in Pakistan and India, where Tony de Zorzi was one of the impact performers. He struck a century and a half century in two Tests on spin-friendly pitches of Pakistan. Later in India, he made 103 runs in a tough series for batters. He also played a few decent knocks in white-ball games, hitting 33 off 16 on his T20I debut, and 76 in the following ODI series. His 39 off 35 in the first ODI versus India also showed enough promise for the conditions.
Beyond numbers, de Zorzi displayed a good ability to read the spinners and had a range of shots in his armour. In white-ball cricket, he showed a noticeable improvement in his intent, not hesitating to take risks.
He also gives an additional left-hand option to South Africa. Against teams heavy on left-arm orthodox and leg-break spin, de Zorzi can be a handy batter to have.
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