Proteas add George Linde to Champions Trophy squad as injury cover

Linde has been rushed to Pakistan as cover for Aiden Markram, who picked up a hamstring strain in the victory over England in the final group match.

Markram played down the severity of the injury but will have a fitness test in Lahore on Tuesday evening to determine his availability for the last four match against the Black Caps.

Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi also sat out the contest against England after falling ill but have now recovered and will take part in training.

Linde is not officially part of the Proteas group as under tournament rules, any replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the player can be officially added to the squad.

The 33-year-old last played in an ODI in September 2021 but is having a stellar domestic season for Western Province where he has excelled in all formats.

In the recent SA20, the left-hander scored 161 runs at a strike rate of 153.33 while also picking up 11 wickets to help MI Cape Town win their first ever title.

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