Ottneil Baartman of Paarl Royals is the SA20’s leading wicket-taler this season. Picture: Arjun Singh / Sportzpics for SA20 Ottneil Baartman reminded the cricketing world, and Proteas coach Shukri Conrad, just what a phenomenal performer he is with the ball by taking a hat trick and five wickets in guiding the Paarl Royals to aSA20 victory against Pretoria Capitalsin Centurion on Thursday. Baartman has been left out of the Proteas’ 15-man T20 World Cup squad, despite being the SA20’s leading wicket-taker this season with 16 wickets in five matches, at an average of 9.44 and economy rate of 8.09.
The right-arm seam bowler took 5/16 on Thursday night to help the Royals beat the Capitals by six wickets and qualify for the play-offs with two round robin matches remaining. Baartman is also the SA20’s leading all-time wicket-taker, with 57 from 30 matches. Asked how he felt about missing out on selection for next month’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Baartman said: “The World Cup is a different story.
All I can do is wish them the very best on their journey. “It will be a tough one, in India. They must enjoy it and give their all, and hopefully bring it home.” “Obviously Shucks (coach Shukri Conrad) picked the squad based on what he is going to expect in India, and he selects the best team he thinks can win the World Cup.
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“All I can do is keep putting in good, winning performances for my team.” Talking about his performance on Thursday night when he picked up three wickets in consecutive balls, Baartman said: “T20s are hard, it’s a batsman’s game, so taking a hat trick and five wickets is special. It doesn’t happen often so I’ll take it every day.” Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj, who will be going to the World Cup next month, said Baartman was a “world-class performer”. “You’ve got to compliment the man … people talk about X-factor, for me that’s holding the length for a long period of time, that’s Otters, with the odd bumper and a little bit of a change up. He keeps it simple, doesn’t leave the stumps, and if you look at the best bowlers in the world, they don’t leave the stumps.
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