Ottneil Baartman's Proteas T20 World Cup omission strange and weird, says Dale Steyn

Former Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn described it as “weird” and “strange” that fast bowler Ottneil Baartman did not make the ICC T20 World Cup squad, despite being the leading wicket-taker in the SA20.

Baartman was a key player for South Africa in the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, where he bowled a total of 19 overs in the five games he played—meaning it was only in one match that he didn’t complete his full allotment. The right-arm quick returned an economy rate of 4.94 runs per over, an almost unheard-of rate in the shortest format of the game.

In the SA20, he is one of only two bowlers to have crossed the 50-wicket mark, alongside Marco Jansen, who has been included in the Proteas squad headed for the tournament in India next month. In the recently concluded bilateral series in India, Baartman finished third on the top wicket-takers list, trailing only Lungi Ngidi and Varun Chakravarthy, and ahead of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.

Steyn, who was commentating during South Africa’s tour of India, had a front-row seat to gauge the quality of the man. Having also served as bowling coach for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape during the first three seasons, Steyn watched Baartman operate up close.

“Ottneil Baartman has been amazing throughout all four seasons. I know we're not even halfway through this season, but all four seasons he's been just phenomenal. I'm a little bit upset that he didn't get the nod to go to the World Cup,” Steyn said.

“I think when you're playing in this SA20 tournament, it's not like domestic cricket. You are playing against four internationals very often—it's two or three international batters, as well as all the Proteas batters. For him to be the leading wicket-taker in this competition tells you that he's not getting 'Mickey Mouse' batters out. He's getting the best in the world out. He's leading the pack, and yet for some weird reason, we've decided not to take him. That's a bit strange.”

Steyn was part of the Proteas squad the last time India hosted the T20 World Cup in 2016 and has played extensively in the IPL, giving him an acute understanding of local conditions. The 42-year-old reckons that this time of year, the wickets in India will favor the quicks.

“When you're playing in India, surprisingly, the pitches can sometimes be pretty good to bat on and to bowl on. They're not spinning that much, especially this time of the year,” Steyn noted. “Those pitches won't be as worn out as, say, in the late IPL. If you bowl well, hit your lengths really hard, and have good plans, you can force batters to make mistakes. When the pitches are a little bit ragged, you'd be forced to bowl a lot of fast cutters and that kind of thing.”

Steyn emphasized that the Proteas quicks must use the new ball effectively to strike early.

“I think they just have to adapt to the conditions and listen to the guys that have been there before—KG (Rabada), Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen. They've played a lot of IPL, so they know how to use those conditions,” he said. “I would also suggest they use that new ball really well, try and get it to swing, and try and pick up a couple of wickets. There's a big chance that if you pick up three or four wickets inside the first six overs, you win a lot of games. I'd look to attack and really make that new ball count.”