Gerald Coetzee was part of the South Africa squad in their latest T20I tour of New Zealand.
Star South African pacer Gerald Coetzee has recently joined the Lions in order to train under some of the prominent former players of the side as well as revive his career to return to the national squad. The bowler was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) franchise in the past two years, respectively, snaring 15 wickets in 14 appearances.
The player, who has not been included in the latest Cricket South Africa (CSA) central contracts, is keen to make it to the Proteas’ scheme of things before the Australia and England multi-format tours. The Aussies are set to visit the South African shores for three ODIs and Tests, respectively, starting on September 24. This will be followed by another high-octane series against England in December.
However, the 25-year-old has often dealt with injuries in his short-spanned career. But after getting ruled out of the historic one-off T20I in Namibia with a pectoral muscle injury, he made a return to the action during the SA20 2025-26. Coetzee also featured in the Proteas’ five-match 20-over series in New Zealand following the T20 World Cup, bagging eight scalps.
“I think you’ve got to take it one step at a time, just look after my body, which is always the biggest challenge for people who bowl fast. The main focus is just to up skill, get better and stay fit. I’m not injured. I’ve been playing since SA20. Currently I’m just preparing whichever opportunity arises next,” said the bowler to SportsBoom.
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Speaking about the move of shifting his domestic base, the former Titans’ player expressed his eagerness to train under some of the South African greats like Allan Donald, Russell Domingo, and Hashim Amla. Notably, Coetzee had featured in just three matches for the Titans in the previous season, scalping two wickets in as many One-Day Cup fixtures, following three scalps in his solitary 4-Day series appearance.
“I was just trying to make a good career decision to see where I can move, if I had to move, or stay. I think for a career move for cricket, it’s an incredible move to work with guys like Russell and Allan. I’m very excited to move there and sad to leave the Titans as well at the same time,” he added.
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