Mark Boucher, South African legend and SA20 ambassador, is shocked by Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman’s omission from the Proteas’ squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. Rickelton has struck two hundreds in the ongoing SA20, while Baartman has taken 16 wickets in 5 matches, including a hat-trick and 5-wicket haul on January 15.
SA20 performers ignored
Despite exceptional performances, even before the SA20 began, both were overlooked. Rickelton was trumped by Quinton de Kock and Tony de Zorzi, while Baartman missed out because of Kwena Maphaka. Even Tristan Stubbs couldn’t find a place, with relatively unknown Jason Smith finding a spot over him. Everyone, including Boucher, was taken aback by the omissions.
“It is the talk of the town at the moment in South Africa. It is surprising that they have left Rickelton out. I haven’t spoken to the coach. He is probably the best guy to ask. Baartman has always been someone I felt has been a little bit hard done by because he has always done really well for South Africa. He took some nice wickets yesterday. Even a guy like Stubbsy (Stubbs), I know he has missed out maybe in the last short while. But he has also maybe been batting out of position. So that is also something that you have got to look at,” Boucher said while answering InsideSport’s question in an SA20 virtual interaction.
Challenges of selection
The legendary wicketkeeper realises that picking a team isn’t easy. You can’t select more than 15 players. As per Cricket South Africa’s policy, at least six non-white players should feature in the squad, with at least two of those being Black African, which can further add to the challenge.
“Every coach would like to take 20 people to the World Cup. But you can’t. You have got to look at the whole set-up and how many batters you have got. How many bowlers have you got? We also have different dynamics in our country that we have to look after as well. So, there is no hiding behind that. And you can only take 15. So, there are always going to be players that miss out,” he added.
Questions over Rickelton’s omission
Rickelton’s snub seems the biggest issue to Boucher. While one can still accept de Kock getting the nod over him, de Zorzi’s selection doesn’t make sense. He’s currently sitting out with an injury, which further makes things complex. Reports suggest that if de Zorzi can’t play, it’ll be Reeza Hendricks who’ll replace him. Make of that what you will, but Boucher has some questions.
“I think the big question now, and why this is coming up, is because we have got a batter who is injured (Tony de Zorzi) and he hasn’t been playing. So, how long is it going to take for him to get over his injury? Is he going to go to a World Cup still with a little bit of a niggle? Has he got enough time to get himself into some sort of form? And I think that is why the questions are coming up. Particularly about Ryan Rickelton, who is in form, is scoring very well, and looks incredibly hungry.
So, I think those are the reasons why these questions are coming up. And they are very valid questions. And I am sure that at some stage, the coach will answer them in the best way that he can,” Boucher concluded.
Baartman speaks on snub
After destroying the Pretoria Capitals, Baartman talked about his non-selection. The pacer revealed that the selectors and head coach Shukri Conrad didn’t inform him that he would not be picked for India. He only got to know after the squad was announced.
“To be honest, I never had a conversation with them. Our selector called me when I was picked for the Indian series, but before that, nobody communicated with me. Nobody actually spoke to me before or after (the World Cup squad announcement). So, I can’t say anything more on that,” Baartman said after his 5-wicket haul.
The 32-year-old revealed that he hasn’t been informed what his shortcomings are and what he needs to do to get selected. It certainly doesn’t paint a good picture when we talk about the process of selection.
“I don’t know (what I need to improve on). I can’t speak for them. I think Shuks selected the 15 based on what we’re going to expect in India. He selected the best team that’s going to win him the World Cup. So, I can’t say much about it, but I wish them all the very best,” he added.
South Africa squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith
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