Durban, Oct 4 (IANS) South Africa tearaway pacer Anrich Nortje said he is setting his sights on a comeback to Tests after a gap of nearly three-and-a-half years, adding that he has been quietly grinding behind the scenes to rebuild his red-ball workload ahead of the upcoming three-match series against Australia, starting on October 9.

Nortje, 32, last played a Test match against West Indies in March 2023 and has not featured in a first-class game since. Following a spate of severe back injuries, including stress fractures, Nortje spent much of the past three years operating primarily as a T20 bowler.

"My prep from quite some time back has been red-ball. It's been quite a bit of a focus for me to try and execute skills with the red ball, to build loads gradually - and in the right way - and to try and get the overs up.

“It's something that I've been doing for quite some time, whether it's on my own or whatever it might be. There's been quite some effort put in to try and upskill again, and improve from where I left off. There were one or two things that were lacking that I wanted to improve," Nortje was quoted as saying by Cricinfo on Sunday.

Working closely with Piet Botha, Nortje added that he relied on self-recorded video analysis to tweak his body alignment and build an action resilient enough to sustain the rigours of five-day cricket.

"He's always been a good reference. There's a lot of things recently that I've done on my own as well. I've never recorded myself as much. I had to see where I can improve action-wise and skills-wise, and there's been a good amount of chat with coach Piet.

“The stuff that I've been working on myself as well has been (on) alignments, (and) trying to get the action better, stronger, more sustainable and more reliable. And then I've been sending it through to coach Piet and seeing if it all checks out," he said.

Although Nortje hasn't bowled more than five overs in a single competitive match since April 2023, the hunger for him to return to red-ball cricket remains undiminished. "You don't think of the tough times in T20 cricket. You just think about executing skills there, where in Tests, you think about the tough times, the good times, the hard work and think that gets you through some sessions.

“I'll be very excited if I can put my Test cap on again. Growing up, it's the format you want to play. It's the motivation when you train. There's just that little bit of extra X-factor that comes out or fire that comes out, and energy that comes out. Guys want to do well, and everyone wants to perform. It is a big series.

"Personally, we always said we want to try and rectify things when we get them back home. It was a tough series. I enjoyed the series, and learned a lot from it, but we wanted to get them in South Africa and do well. That's what's in my head," added Nortje.

Nortje’s timing could prove crucial for South Africa, as Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka, and Ottneil Baartman are already ruled out of the series, while Kagiso Rabada is monitoring a hamstring concern as the Proteas squad prepares for a two-day intra-squad practice match.

Nortje also praised the progress made by the Test side under head coach Shukri Conrad and expressed his desire to contribute to their ongoing success. "The way the team's progressed over the last few years has been amazing under coach Shuks - it's been really good, the way they've played and the way they've gone about things.

“Hopefully, I can just add 1%, 2%, (or) whatever it might be to help the team. The guys have grown quite a bit. They've played a lot. They've done really well. They've been successful. Hopefully, I can just add on to that. I'm very, very keen to get going and be on the park, and try to do well for the country."

--IANS

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