Who is South African pacer Ottniel Baartman? Decoding his stats
Albeit in a losing cause, South African pacer Ottniel Baartman bowled a sensational spell against West Indies in the opening T20I in Jamaica. The debutant scalped two wickets toward the end after drawing the first blood with the new ball. He claimed 3/26 in his four overs though SA lost by 28 runs. Here we look at his stats.
A fine spell from Baartman
As mentioned, Baartman struck with the new ball as he dismissed the dangerous Johnson Charles for one in the fourth over. The final five overs of the WI innings saw the debutant dismiss Akeal Hosein (2) and Matthew Forde (5). His spell was of great significance as WI were restricted to 175/8 in their 20 overs after being at 134/2 at one stage.
Second-most wickets in SA20 2024
Notably, Baartman was the second-highest wicket-taker of the 2024 SA20. The same earned him a berth a place in SA's squad for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. Playing for eventual champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Baartman took 18 wickets across just eight games and that too at an economy of 6.95 (4W: 2). Only Marco Jansen claimed more wickets in the season (20).
100 wickets in T20 cricket
Notably, Baartman also completed 100 T20 wickets with his second scalp on international debut. Having played 71 games, the 31-year-old has raced to 101 wickets at an impressive economy of 6.97 (4W: 4, 5W: 1). Besides, the speedster also boasts 109 First-Class wickets at 27.16 and 61 List A scalps at 23.11.
How did the game pan out?
As mentioned, WI managed 175/8 in 20 overs as the Proteas produced a solid comeback. Skipper Brandon King made a brilliant 79 off 45 balls. In reply, Reeza Hendricks led the chase for SA as he hammered 87 off just 51 deliveries. However, none of his teammates could even touch the 20-run mark as SA were bundled out for 147.
