Lhuan-dre Pretorius was kept in the loop by Shukri Conrad about World Cup exclusion; why wasn’t Ottniel Baartman?
Ottniel Baartman’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad has left him in the dark about his international future, despite his impressive SA20 performance and recent involvement with the Proteas, contrasting with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who was informed by coach Shukri Conrad. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP
Image: Chandan Khanna/AFP
It came as quite a shock recently when Ottniel Baartman revealed he hadn’t been in touch with Proteas coach Shukri Conrad and the selectors over his non-selection for the T20 World Cup.
This is in contrast to Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who also missed out, but said he knew exactly where he stood with Conrad.
The difference is that Pretorius is 19, while Baartman is 32, and recent developments may leave him wondering about his international career.
This comes after he ended the SA20 as the leading wicket-taker with 20 victims from nine matches for the Paarl Royals. The next best was Anrich Nortje, who took 18 wickets but played three matches more as his side, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, claimed the title.
Baartman’s Uncertain Future with the Proteas Amid Squad Changes and Competition with Kwena Maphaka
Baartman has also been in the mix recently with the Proteas in their ODI and T20I series against hosts India in December.
A few days later, Baartman would have learnt from the squad announcement that he had been effectively dropped.
Last week, though, the Proteas announced an update to their T20 squad with Donovan Ferreira and Tony de Zorzi left out due to injury, as Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs were brought in. According to ICC rules, the World Cup squad can be changed for any reason up to and including January 31.
The player Baartman is directly competing with for a spot is another 19-year-old, Kwena Maphaka. The left-arm quick did not fare well in the SA20 as he claimed just four wickets for Durban Super Giants in eight matches.
With all that in mind, it does seem strange that Baartman appears to be out in the wilderness about his Proteas future, and it’s even more bizarre that he too remains in the dark.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to iolletters@inl.co.za. Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).