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Sunrisers Eastern Cape pacer Ottniel Baartman, who played a pivotal role in the team’s title-winning run in the 2024 SA20 season, is setting his sights on new heights ahead of the league’s third edition.
Baartman, named Bowler of the Season after claiming 18 wickets in just eight matches, formed a formidable partnership with compatriot Marco Jansen, last season’s leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps, to help Sunrisers defend their crown and cement their status as the most successful team in the league.
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Reflecting on his journey over the last year and a half, Baartman shared his aspirations and the influences that have shaped his career.
“The desire to play for South Africa drives me,” he said. “I was in the set-up before but got injured. For me, I can’t go backwards; I can only go upwards.”
Baartman outlined his primary goals for the previous season, emphasizing the importance of consistency and success. “The first goal was obviously to be here. The second was not just to take wickets but to be consistent. The most important thing is to be consistent, to be with the winning team, and to win trophies. I feel if you win trophies, you get noticed. If you win trophies, the highest teams will recognise you, so you must be doing something right,” he explained.
Working under the legendary Dale Steyn as a bowling coach during SA20 has been transformative for Baartman. “He doesn’t try to change you. He knows what we are capable of, but he played at the highest level, so the information he gives is valuable. I try to pick it up and implement it. If something doesn’t work, I take a different route and move on from there,” Baartman noted.
The pacer has focused on sharpening his skills, particularly executing yorkers, which he considers his most reliable weapon. “In SA20, bowling second under lights favours bowlers because the wicket gets quicker. My biggest focus is to execute my yorkers. That was always my go-to ball, even in school. If I need a dot ball or something, that’s my plan. My goal is to try and execute my yorkers as much as possible because I feel like if you do it well, it’s hard to get away,” he said.
Baartman also opened up about his personal motivations and what cricket means to him. “My friends deserve credit too. In school, we’d always come back and play cricket in the streets. My cousin played club cricket, and I’d go watch him and think, ‘One day, I want to be like him.’ Now, the biggest thing is playing for my family,” he shared.
Baartman paid an emotional tribute to his mother, who he says has been his guiding light. “I have never met my father, he was never around. My mother was both a mother and father to me. She raised me from nothing, and because of her, I’m here today. It means the world to me. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be able to put something on the table. To be both a mother and father and raise two kids, it’s exceptional,” he said.
As the third season of SA20 approaches, Baartman is determined to replicate his past successes and push the Sunrisers Eastern Cape toward another title, further establishing his reputation as one of the league’s most potent bowlers.
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