The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is fast approaching, and Tony de Zorzi, one of South Africaās prominent top-order batters, is facing the possibility of missing the marquee ICC tournament. Notably, Tony de Zorzi suffered a hamstring injury during the ODI series against India in December and has not yet fully recovered.
Recently, the Durban Super Giants, an SA20 franchise, shared a cryptic social media post that appeared to hint at the South African batterās recovery timeline. Tony de Zorzi has not played a single SA20 match since the India ODI series, and from the current signs, the situation does not look encouraging for the 28-year-old.
While Cricket South Africa has not yet announced a replacement option, an update could be made soon. With de Zorziās participation under serious doubt, here is a look at some of the players who could potentially replace him in South Africaās T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
Tony de Zorzi's replacements for T20 World Cup 2026 1) Tristan Stubbs While South African cricket has long been marked by its colour politics, the exclusion of Tristan Stubbs disappointed many. The 25-year-old, who has played 42 T20I games, will be an explosive addition to the squad even if he is not a like-for-like replacement for Zorzi.
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[Tristan Stubbs T20I career stats]
With a strike rate of 132.15 from 36 innings and a solid average of 27.40, Tristan Stubbs is a perfect option who can exploit at No. 4 and No. 6 as he also boasts averages of 31.83 and 26.78, respectively.
Though Tristan Stubbs is a bit rusty with his recent form, and averages only 21.71 in 2025 in T20Is, his explosive temperament can be a great option for the Proteas in a quick-paced tournament.
2) Ryan Rickelton Ryan Rickelton can be a like-for-like replacement for Tony de Zorzi at the top. The wicketkeeper-batter of South Africa has played 18 T20I matches for his team and averages 21.17 from them while striking at 134.15.
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[Ryan Rickelton as an opener in T20Is]
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[Ryan Rickelton recent stats in SA20 2025-26]
The left-hand batter has been in astonishing form in SA20 with one century already from his five matches as he averages 40.80. Ryan Rickelton also strikes at 137.40 while opening in T20I games and hence, can be a solid option at the top, perfectly swapping Zorziās needs.
3) Reeza Hendricks Reeza Hendricks, the specialist T20I batter for South Africa, is a mammoth at the top. Better than Zorzi with the aggressive temperament, Hendricks can crack open the bowling order with his unbelievable acumen in the opening position.
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[Reeza Hendricks stats as an opener in T20Is]
While Reeza Hendricks boasts an average of 28.78 from 90 T20I games, his intent can be beneficial for the Proteas during the chase. Stats reveal that Hendricks averages 30.97 while chasing, which is a better average when compared to him batting while setting targets, by 15.47%. Hence, the Proteas will be up for a bonus anyways.
![Tony De Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs [Source: @shurbi_chawla/X]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1767785136802_TonyDeZorziandTristanStubbs[Source@shurbi_chawlaX].jpg?type=hq)
Tony De Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs [Source: @shurbi_chawla/X] and Secretary Devajit Saikia (R) (Source AFP).jpg?type=mq "Fizz exit reflects poorly on BCCI")
 and Travis Head (R).jpg?type=mq "Usman Khawaja's Aussie replacements")
 .jpg?type=mq "Usman Khawaja's controversial cricketing moments")
