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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – Johan Botha is battling hard to enhance his credentials to lead South Africa in both forms of limited-overs cricket.
The determined Warriors off-spinner has been using the 2011 Indian Premier League (IPL) as his vehicle to remind critics that he is intent on improving his secondary batting skill, something many believe may be vital if he is to crack the Proteas captaincy nod as Graeme Smith’s replacement for one-day internationals.
Botha is the incumbent leader at Twenty20 level although the recent 50-overs World Cup, where the country again tripped at a knockout-phase hurdle, raised some fresh fears about his suitability to do the job on a more expanded basis.
Not only did the emergence of Imran Tahir and blossoming of Robin Peterson on the spin bowling front threaten Botha’s mantle as South Africa’s “anchor” limited-overs slow bowler, but his deployment as a No 7 batsman remained unconvincing and various pundits suggested the balance of the South African team was detrimentally affected as a result.
But Botha has always been nothing if not a fighter throughout his career, making a successful initial conversion from fairly humdrum seamer to wily off-spinner, and then determinedly remodelling his bowling action after a few setbacks in which he was cited for “chucking”.
Now he is also on a crusade, it seems, to silence those who believe he doesn’t cut the batting mustard - he is the man they can’t get out in the IPL.
Botha has been creatively used as a No 3 by the second-placed Rajasthan Royals, and cannot yet be given an average in the competition because he cannot be dislodged – he has compiled 132 runs from four unbeaten knocks (he missed three matches through injury) at an eye-catching strike rate of 134.69.
He scored 14 not out off seven balls, including hitting the winning boundary, in the Royals’ latest triumph over Kochi Tuskers on Sunday.
Whilst hardly the most prolific or spectacular boundary-seeker on the circuit, Botha is improving all the time for unorthodoxy and ability to upset field placings – his reverse sweep off both paceman and spinner alike is almost up there with the very best for audacity and efficiency.
He also chose the Jaipur win to turn in probably his best showing at his main trade – he bowled Mahela Jayawardene en route to a fine analysis of 4-0-19-1 and provided key back-up to veteran leg-spinning great Shane Warne, who similarly kept a brilliant lid on things as he returned 3/16 in his own full quota of overs.
Meanwhile fellow South African Albie Morkel, occasionally the opposite of Botha because he is subjected to criticism more of the bowling string to his all-round bow, also kept knockers at bay in the latest round of IPL matches.
The Titans favourite grabbed two scalps in his upfront spell with the new ball for Chennai Super Kings against Pune Warriors on Monday, and finished with a tidy analysis of 4-0-29-3 in a 25-run home triumph for his franchise.
Cape Town – Johan Botha is battling hard to enhance his credentials to lead South Africa in both forms of limited-overs cricket.
The determined Warriors off-spinner has been using the 2011 Indian Premier League (IPL) as his vehicle to remind critics that he is intent on improving his secondary batting skill, something many believe may be vital if he is to crack the Proteas captaincy nod as Graeme Smith’s replacement for one-day internationals.
Botha is the incumbent leader at Twenty20 level although the recent 50-overs World Cup, where the country again tripped at a knockout-phase hurdle, raised some fresh fears about his suitability to do the job on a more expanded basis.
Not only did the emergence of Imran Tahir and blossoming of Robin Peterson on the spin bowling front threaten Botha’s mantle as South Africa’s “anchor” limited-overs slow bowler, but his deployment as a No 7 batsman remained unconvincing and various pundits suggested the balance of the South African team was detrimentally affected as a result.
But Botha has always been nothing if not a fighter throughout his career, making a successful initial conversion from fairly humdrum seamer to wily off-spinner, and then determinedly remodelling his bowling action after a few setbacks in which he was cited for “chucking”.
Now he is also on a crusade, it seems, to silence those who believe he doesn’t cut the batting mustard - he is the man they can’t get out in the IPL.
Botha has been creatively used as a No 3 by the second-placed Rajasthan Royals, and cannot yet be given an average in the competition because he cannot be dislodged – he has compiled 132 runs from four unbeaten knocks (he missed three matches through injury) at an eye-catching strike rate of 134.69.
He scored 14 not out off seven balls, including hitting the winning boundary, in the Royals’ latest triumph over Kochi Tuskers on Sunday.
Whilst hardly the most prolific or spectacular boundary-seeker on the circuit, Botha is improving all the time for unorthodoxy and ability to upset field placings – his reverse sweep off both paceman and spinner alike is almost up there with the very best for audacity and efficiency.
He also chose the Jaipur win to turn in probably his best showing at his main trade – he bowled Mahela Jayawardene en route to a fine analysis of 4-0-19-1 and provided key back-up to veteran leg-spinning great Shane Warne, who similarly kept a brilliant lid on things as he returned 3/16 in his own full quota of overs.
Meanwhile fellow South African Albie Morkel, occasionally the opposite of Botha because he is subjected to criticism more of the bowling string to his all-round bow, also kept knockers at bay in the latest round of IPL matches.
The Titans favourite grabbed two scalps in his upfront spell with the new ball for Chennai Super Kings against Pune Warriors on Monday, and finished with a tidy analysis of 4-0-29-3 in a 25-run home triumph for his franchise.
