Former Proteas quick Dale Steyn has raised questions over the omission of Ottneil Baartman from the South Africa squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. The decision comes as a shock since he has looked in stellar form in the ongoing SA20 2026 season and was also amongst wickets during the recent India tour as well.
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Echoing on the same lines, Steyn debated the snub, highlighting Baartman’s consistency over the years in the shortest format, where he ranks at the top of all-time highest wicket-takers list in SA20 with 52 scalps at an impressive average of 15.15. In the 2026 season too, he is leading the tally with 11 wickets in four games, including a four-wicket haul against MI Cape Town.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Dale Steyn wrote, “We really need to start looking at Baartman as one of SA’s best white ball bowlers. He’s the highest wicket taker in SA20, won the league twice and made a final, let me remind you, that’s a comp that has 4 INTERNATIONAL players (often batters) plus all the PROTEAS! He’s number 1. Thats TOP quality, but he’ll be sitting home for this years 20/20 WC.”
| Player | Wickets | Average | BBI |
| Ottneil Baartman | 52 | 15.15 | 4/10 |
| Marco Jansen | 51 | 18.94 | 5/30 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 34 | 24.21 | 4/25 |
| Eathan Bosch | 32 | 26.84 | 4/46 |
| Bjorn Fortuin | 32 | 29.31 | 3/14 |
| Keshav Maharaj | 30 | 27.27 | 3/28 |
| Noor Ahmad | 29 | 15.21 | 5/11 |
| Richard Gleeson | 27 | 19.22 | 3/2 |
| George Linde | 27 | 26.33 | 3/15 |
| Lungi Ngidi | 27 | 31.74 | 4/39 |
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Talking about the Proteas pace battery for the ICC event, the fast bowling department will be spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada, alongisde Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch.
While Rabada and Ngidi are the most senior pacers with Jansen and Bosch making the cut as seaming all-rounders in the side, Baartman could have been slotted in the place of the young and relatively inexperienced Maphaka or Nortje, who haven’t looked his best self.
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