A big controversy has hit the South Africa National Cricket Team after Ottneil Baartman spoke openly about his shocking exclusion from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad and the complete lack of communication from the selectors and head coach Shukri Conrad.
Selection storm in South Africa as Ottneil Baartman exposes ICC T20 World Cup 2026 snub
Shukri Conrad surprised everyone by leaving out some of the most in-form players, including Ottneil Baartman, Ryan Rickelton, and Tristan Stubbs, for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
The decision raised many questions, especially since Baartman, Rickelton, and Stubbs have been in red-hot form in the ongoing SA20 2025–26 for their respective teams. Rickelton is currently the leading run-scorer of the tournament, with 324 runs to his name.
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Ottneil Baartman on fire in SA20 2025-26
On the other hand, Ottneil Baartman has been even more excellent with the ball. The 32-year-old fast bowler is currently the top wicket-taker in the ongoing SA20 2025-26 with 16 wickets in just five matches at a remarkable average of 9.44.
Baartman’s form has been outstanding and hard to ignore, yet he didn’t find a place in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad despite being part of South Africa’s tour of India just last month. But what made the situation worse was the Proteas star’s revelation about how his omission was handled.
Surprisingly, Baartman said that no one from the coaching staff or selection panel spoke to him before or after the India tour. The star bowler also revealed that he has not had any conversations with the selectors or head coach regarding his shocking omission from the T20 World Cup squad.
Baartman made these revelations after the Paarl Royals’ six-wicket win over the Pretoria Capitals in their SA20 clash in Centurion, where the pacer delivered a Player of the Match performance (5/16 in 4 overs).
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I wish them all the very best: ICC T20 World Cup 2026 snub fails to shake Baartman
Despite the snub, Baartman is staying positive and is focusing on performing well in the ongoing SA20 2025-26 and wishes the Proteas team the best for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.
Ottneil Baartman said at the post-match press conference in Centurion: “Obviously, the World Cup is a different story. But what I can do is wish them all the very best in their journey to the World Cup. Wish them to win it and enjoy it. Give you all your very best. And yeah, hopefully bring it home.”
He continued, “I wasn’t too disappointed. I didn’t think at first that I was going to be picked. Obviously, I didn’t have the conversations with the coaches and selectors. But yeah, obviously, guys will be disappointed. But for me, I want to take it easy day by day.”
No calls, no talks: Ottneil Baartman left in complete dark
On being asked whether he was left completely in the dark about his non-selection and when he last had a chat with Shukri Conrad or selectors, the South African star said no one spoke to him before or after the recent India tour or even about the T20 World Cup selection.
Baartman signed off by saying, “To be honest, I never had a conversation with them. Obviously, the selector called me when I was picked for the Indian series. But before that, nobody communicated with me. So yeah, like I said, the World Cup is a different story for me. Like I said, nobody actually spoke to me before that or after that. So yeah, can’t say anything more on that.”
