Fast bowler from South Africa, Ottneil Baartman, revealed no one from the selectors or the coach had approached him regarding his absence from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad. He was one of the most highlighted omissions from the team, and after that, he produced amazing bowling displays in SA20 2026.
After performing another match-winning spell against Pretoria Capitals in Centurion, Baartman said he is not really bothered with his non-selection, since he was not really hoping for it. Still, he has not received a communication from the selectors or management explaining why he was not selected for the mega event.
“Yeah, to be honest, I never had a conversation with them (selectors and coach). Obviously, the selector called me when I was picked for that Indian series, but before that, nobody communicated with me. So, like I said, the World Cup is a different thing, a different story for me. Like I said, nobody actually spoke to me before or after that. So, yeah, can’t say anything more on that.”
Was there a place for Ottneil Baartman in South Africa squad for T20 World Cup 2026?
South Africa included four specialist pacers in their T20 World Cup 2026 squad – Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and Kwena Maphaka – plus Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch as all-rounders. They had no capacity for more speedsters and unambiguously opted for experienced players rather than those with almost no experience at the particular conditions.
Ottneil Baartman was in the India tour, and although he had quite a good bowling display, he was able to take five wickets at 19.40 runs apiece in three innings including a four-wicket haul. Thus, he surely stood his ground for selection, but probably the selectors were more inclined towards the likes of Nortje and Ngidi for their specialization in different phases.
To illustrate, Nortje can deliver balls on hard lengths very fast and will be a valuable asset in Ahmedabad, which is the venue for the first three matches of South Africa. Ngidi is a bowler with an experienced background, and he can be very effective by throwing slow balls in the hitting part of the game, whereas Maphaka’s inclusion was confined to a left-arm option being added to the attack in case Marco Jansen met with an injury or some rival teams would be difficulties in handling this angle.