Oudtshoorn’s Ottneil Baartman in action. Baartman has been called up to the national Protea test squad to play against Pakistan. (Photo supplied)
Former SWD cricketer Ottneil Baartman, born and bred in Oudtshoorn, has been included into the Proteas Test squad for the two-match series in Pakistan that was announced on Friday, making him Oudtshoorn’s second ever Protea player. It is a maiden national team inclusion for Baartman and follows a month after his former SWD teammate, Oudtshoorn’s Glenton Stuurman, also received a call-up to the Proteas squad. Stuurman was tipped to make his test debut against Sri-Lanka in the Boxing Day test but was forced to withdraw due to injury which opened the door for Lutho Sipamla.
Baartman boasts 82 First-Class wickets from 28 matches with best bowling figures of 14/95 at an average of 26.84. Baartman represented SWD in 8 first class-, 8 List A- and 6 T20 matches between 2014 and 2017. He bagged 28 first class wickets for SWD with the highlight being his match analysis of 14/95 against KwaZulu Natal in 2016/17. He made his first steps in the high-performance pipeline when he represented the SWD u/19 team in 2011/12 and in 2014 he was a member of the SWD Cricket Academy. In the 2017/18 season he joined the Knights franchise in Bloemfontein, then, at the beginning of the current season he moved to Durban where he started playing for the Dolphins.
South Africa’s historical tour to Pakistan will see them play in the country for the first time in 14 years, from 26 January to 14 February 2021. The Test series in Karachi and Rawalpindi will be followed by three T20 internationals in Lahore.
The 21-strong squad includes most of the players that were originally named in the home Test series against Sri Lanka. The attack is strengthened by the returns of Kagiso Rabada and Dwaine Pretorius – both of whom are fully fit to play – with a spin-bowling boost in the inclusions of Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde.
The Proteas Test squad to Pakistan is as follows: Quinton de Kock (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Temba Bavuma (Imperial Lions), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans), Faf du Plessis (Momentum Multiply Titans), Dean Elgar (Momentum Multiply Titans), Kagiso Rabada (Imperial Lions), Dwaine Pretorius (Imperial Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Rassie van der Dussen (Imperial Lions), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Wiaan Mulder (Imperial Lions), Lutho Sipamla (Imperial Lions), Beuran Hendricks (Imperial Lions), Kyle Verreynne (Six Gun Gill Cape Cobras), Sarel Erwee (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Keegan Petersen (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), George Linde (Six Gun Grill Cape Cobras), Daryn Dupavillon (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Ottniel Baartman (Hollywoodbets Dolphins).