Anrich Nortje Relishes Return Ahead of Crucial T20I Clash in Lucknow

Lucknow: Ahead of the fourth T20I against India, South Africa speedster Anrich Nortje said he is focusing on improving every day. The fourth T20I of the five-match series between the two countries will be held in Lucknow on December 17.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference, Nortje said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, "It's nice to be back, I really missed it and really enjoying my time here," Nortje said. "I'm sort of happy with the progress. There's still a lot of cricket to play. For me, it's just to try and focus game by game, day by day, and just try and get better every day but I've really been enjoying the time back and it's been great to be with the team."

"I'm happy to be here. The team's been doing unbelievably well the last year or two. There are some fresh faces, there are some old faces and guys have been sort of on the fringes for a while, are getting to play more cricket more consistently. Coming in and seeing how basic they keep things, trying to be as basic as possible, let the moment play out, assess on the park what to do. Guys are jamming really well, getting along very well, and everyone knows their role in the team. And I think that's very important," Nortje added.

When Nortje asked about the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka and his possibility to be in the South Africa squad, the speedster said, "Hopefully I can be in the squad, but if not, for me it's just to try and focus game by game, day by day, and just try and get better."

During the pre-match press conference, Nortje was told that he would be seeing a lot more of the Ekana Stadium after he was picked by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction for his base price of Rs 2 crore. (ANI)

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