Anrich Nortje's Return To Fitness In Ipl Will Put Smile On Proteas Coach Shukri Conrad's Face

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad will be smiling from ear to ear this morning following the performance of two key fast bowlers in the Indian Premier League.

The Proteas ended the Test season with a massive injury crisis in the pace stakes , with Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger spending time on the sidelines. Despite this, Conrad's men managed to win their last seven Test matches, qualifying for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's in June.

Kagiso Rabada and veteran seamer Dane Paterson played a key role in the Test matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, carrying the Proteas' attack. The emergence of all-rounder Wiaan Mulder and the return to form of lanky left-arm quick Marco Jansen was also crucial.

But there is a feeling that the Proteas need an out-and-out speedster to provide even more variety against a powerful Australian batting line-up.

On Wednesday, the 31-year-old Nortje returned from a four-month spell on the sidelines and bowled with genuine pace for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Punjab Kings. He returned figures of 1/23 in his three overs, hardly showing any signs of rust after such a long layoff.