A left-arm orthodox spinner and capable lower-order batter, George Linde started his cricketing career as a seam bowler during his school days. Following his selection into the Western Province Under-13 team, Linde shifted to left-arm spin to find better opportunities, as there were already enough seam bowling options in the team. Ever since turning to spin, he has never looked back and has gone from strength to strength.

Despite his affinity towards batting, it was his coach who persisted with him to concentrate more on the spin as his game developed. Just after finishing school, Linde went to the UK for a stint with English club cricket before returning to South Africa. He then played for the Western Province Amateur team before being snapped up by the Cape Cobras.

Linde made his first-class debut for Gauteng way back in 2012. He emerged as a promising young all-rounder in the domestic circuit in quick time and kept on improving his skills in white-ball cricket. He bagged 15 wickets in the 2017-18 Domestic One-Day Cup and was awarded a place in the Cape Town Blitz squad for the Mzansi Super League 2018-19.

His consistent performances finally paved the way for his selection in the South Africa A squad. He was part of the South Africa A side, which toured India in August-September, just before the senior team came along for a Test series. He finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the unofficial ODI series and finally bagged his maiden national call-up when he was brought in as a replacement for JJ Smuts, who failed to live up to the fitness standards.

George Linde Test Career

George Linde made his Test debut on October 19, 2019, against India in Ranchi and bagged 4 wickets in the match as a replacement for Keshav Maharaj. The Ranchi Test was the only game the spinner played on the tour, but since the India tour, Linde’s life has skyrocketed.

In 2021, he toured Pakistan to play a couple more Tests in the historic series. The South African registered his maiden five-wicket haul in the Rawalpindi Test. 

Later that season, Linde became Proteas’ prime spinner when they hosted Pakistan at home and hasn’t dropped a beat since then.

George Linde T20I Career

In 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic, when cricket returned to South Africa, the spinner made his T20I debut against England. 

He started his T20I career with a clean spell of 2 for 20, where he took Jason Roy’s wicket on a duck and also scalped the then World No. 1 Dawid Malan.

He was always a part of the South African squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. 

George Linde ODI Career

George Linde made his ODI debut for South Africa against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on September 4, 2021. In his first ODI appearance, he recorded figures of 1/40. 

(As of February 2026)