JSK’s troubles are a symptom of a broader problem in South African cricket: the proliferation of injured quicks, which has blighted the summer. As the numbers on the sidelines grow, so do the theories over the reasons, and there seems to be a prevailing one.

“We actually did a count last night,” Albie Morkel, JSK’s assistant coach said after their loss to MICT on Wednesday night. “Currently there’s about nine South African fast bowlers injured across all the teams, so it is a worrying thing. We are trying to find reasons why, maybe it’s the lack of cricket, I don’t know. We lost three big guys in Lizaad, Nandre, and Gerald recently, so it’s big for us and we have to juggle with the guys that we have.”

Morkel’s point may extend to a discussion on loads in general which is something CSA, like other boards around the world, monitors. That includes bowling too much and bowling too little, and then switching between the two extremes too quickly, which results in drastic changes in a short space of time. One source pointed to the structure of South Africa’s domestic system which, for two of the last three seasons, has started with a T20 competition, and then gone into a first-class tournament. This, in essence, has taken bowlers from delivering four overs a match for several weeks to being required to bowl 15-plus overs a day in a short space of time.

An example of this is Coetzee, who played 22 T20s in 2024 but no first-class matches before he played a Test against Sri Lanka. In the Test, Coetzee bowled 16 overs – four times more than he had bowled in a single game all year, and hurt his groin, which ruled him out of the rest of the international summer. On his comeback seven weeks later, Coetzee bowled three overs for JSK and has since picked up a hamstring injury.

CSA are hopeful that Coetzee will recover before the final Champions Trophy squads need to be named on February 11 but they will still need to address Coetzee’s longer-term problems. He has struggled with injuries since he was at school and often in similar areas: hamstrings, hip and groin. One problem could be how much he puts his body through by bowling quickly, which CSA tried to address when they put him, and Marco Jansen, on a 12-week conditioning break between August and October this year. Jansen has returned refreshed, quick and with a renewed appetite for batting; Coetzee initially came back faster, but has since been injured.

Nortje has had long-standing back and hip problems, which ruled him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup, but has also shown he can come back strongly. He was South Africa’s leading wicket-taker, and the joint second-highest, at the 2024 T20 World Cup, but there is something interesting to note about his recent playing history. Since September 2023, Nortje has only played T20s: 35 matches, and opted out of a CSA central contract, which may have required him to play Tests and ODIs as well, to ease his body back into the rigours of competitive cricket.

Ngidi has only played two first-class matches in the last two years – both Tests – and six ODIs (but no domestic 50-over matches) and 25 T20s in that time. Ngidi did not play any cricket between the ODI series against Ireland in October the start of the SA20 in January, which meant he missed the entire home international season, including all four Tests. He has since played three of Paarl Royals’ five matches, including two in a row on January 11 and 13, but did not play on Monday night against JSK. The official word is that he is fit for selection but the evidence of his appearances is that he has been bowling slower than expected, which may be a worry ahead of the Champions Trophy.

That number would leave most national sides, and the domestic systems, in trouble but South Africa have still managed to field excellent quicks in their Test squad, while the SA20 sides are fairly well stocked. If there is a silver lining, it’s that when the depth has been tested, it’s passed. However, South Africa will still want to consider the root cause of the issue and see if they can resolve it.