CRICKET: Former Malahide and Ireland off-spinner Johan Botha has been selected onto the full South Africa side for their upcoming tour to India.
Botha (23), who played as Malahide CC's overseas professional in the 2005 season, got into the side after incumbent off-spinner Nicky Boje decided not to tour. While he is South African born and bred, Botha will always have to admit the first country he played for was not his own. He represented Ireland as their overseas player in last season's Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy defeat to Yorkshire at Stormont.
"Yes, that was a great experience," he told The Irish Times yesterday. "It was very nice to play for Ireland but this selection is the one I really wanted."
Botha is the only uncapped player in the 15-man squad, which includes another man who played club cricket in Ireland, opening batsman AB de Villiers, formerly of Carrickfergus CC. Botha recently toured Sri Lanka with the South Africa A team, where he took four wickets in five matches and topped the batting averages with 70.
He was injured in a training session with the Eastern Cape Warriors four weeks ago, when he fractured a bone in the left hand while batting. Fortunately, it was not his bowling hand and he performed well for the Warriors last weekend, taking 4 for 71 off 24.4 overs.
"I had thought I had blown my chances with that injury. But it recovered very well and luckily I had a good game at the weekend to prove I was fit enough to bowl for a long spell," he said.
Boje and also batsman Herschelle Gibbs made themselves unavailable for selection last week after Indian police were unable to guarantee they would not be arrested and questioned over match-fixing allegations made against the two players. Botha is treating Boje's withdrawal as his big chance.
"I guess these things happen for a reason and I am delighted I have been given this opportunity. That said, it is likely Nicky will be brought back in for the tour to Australia (early next year) . . . I have still got a lot to learn about spin bowling and hopefully that learning process will continue in India," he said.
Botha received messages of congratulations from his former captain at Malahide, Andy Pyne, as well as national coach Adrian Birrell. "Playing in Ireland was a great experience for me. I learned a lot about the different types of wickets as the conditions were very different from those we have here (in South Africa)," he said.
Botha is one of three spinners in the squad and will be fighting for his place with at least one of Justin Ontong and Robin Peterson. India is usually a friendly place for spinners and selectors may pick two of those three rather than relying too much on the part-time spin of skipper Graeme Smith.
"The conditions in India suit spin bowlers and we feel the time has arrived for us to back them to do the job," said chairman of selectors Haroon Lorgat. With Ontong and Peterson having failed to impress on previous tours to the sub-continent, Botha will surely get the opportunity to perform in at least some of the five one-day internationals.
SOUTH AFRICA SQUAD: Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince.
Itinerary (India v South Africa): November 16th: 1st one-day international, Hyderabad. November 19th: 2nd ODI, Bangalore. November 22nd: 3rd ODI, Chennai. November 25th: 4th ODI, Calcutta. November 28th: 5th ODI, Mumbai.
