Cricket SA vs. Ottneil Baartman: Who’s telling the truth about World Cup squad exclusion?
The controversy surrounding Ottneil Baartman’s exclusion from the Proteas T20 World Cup squad highlights conflicting statements from Cricket SA and Baartman, raising questions about his relationship with the selectors and his future in the team. Picture: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP
Image: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP
Earlier this week, it emerged that Cricket SA, through convenor of selectors Patrick Moroney, had kept Ottneil Baartman in the loop that he would not be a part of the Proteas T20 World Cup squad.
Why then, a week prior, did Baartman say he hadn’t heard anything from the selectors? What would his motivation be for making that statement in an interview?
This came after there was an outcry after the squad was announced, which obviously did not include Baartman, as well as a few other big surprises like the omission of Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs. The pair, though, were later added to the squad after Donovan Ferreira and Tony de Zorzi were ruled out through injury.
The 32-year-old Baartman had been a key part of the Proteas attack during their limited-over series against hosts India in December, and he was expected to be part of the T20 World Cup squad.
Baartman’s SA20 Success Overshadowed by World Cup Exclusion Controversy
Baartman would go on to take the most wickets (20) in the SA20, which made his non-selection a hot topic. When asked if he had been kept in the loop that he would not be going to the World Cup, his answer was no.
The comments of Baartman and Moroney both simply can’t be true.
It’s also interesting to note that one of the surprise exclusions from the squad announced in the first week of January was 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius. When he was asked about it, the youngster confirmed he knew exactly where he stood.
“Obviously, the messages were really clear, which is cool. Shukri Conrad is a very honest guy. For the people that don't know him, he is a really honest guy, and he's really open and not scared to tell you the truth and be open with you,” Pretorius told SportsBoom.co.za.
The whole fiasco points to the fact that Baartman may have fallen out of favour with the selectors, and even if either party does not have any more clarification about the issue publicly, they certainly need to meet privately to discuss his Proteas future and smooth over what seems to be a strained relationship from the outside.
* 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).