Andre Botha (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Andre Cornelius Botha is a former South Africa
n-born Irish cricketer. He played 55 times in all for Ireland, including the 2005 ICC Trophy
and the European Championship
in 2004 and 2006. Botha retired in May 2011.
in his native South Africa.
Botha was the resident professional at Clontarf Cricket Club from 1994 until his switch to North County in 2000. A prolific batsman at club level, Botha contributed to North County's Irish Senior Cup victories in 2001, 2003,2005 and 2007 as well as garnering four consecutive Leinster Senior League winners' medals between 2003 and 2006.
s in domestic cricket, the newly-eligible Botha débuted for his adopted country in Ireland's August 2001 C&G Trophy
victory over Wiltshire
, although he started inauspiciously, registering nought with the bat and 1-50 with the ball.
A fixture in the Irish team thereafter, Botha's form temporarily deserted him during Ireland's momentous summer of 2005. Selected at #3 in the batting order
throughout the group phase of the 2005 ICC Trophy
, Botha recorded a dismal average
of 9.5 for the tournament, twice succumbing on zero. However, his economical bowling contributed eight wickets to the Irish cause, and helped the team (which ultimately finished second in the competition) land a qualifying berth for the 2007 Cricket World Cup
.
In marked contrast to his ICC Trophy form, the runs flowed freely from Botha's bat during Ireland's conquest of the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup
. A tournament average of 66.00 encompassed an international career-best 97 against the Netherlands
at Stormont
, and knocks of 78 and 43* in the final victory over Kenya
at Windhoek
. Botha also accounted for eight wickets at 25.50 with his medium-paced bowling during the course of the tournament.
Selected for Ireland's inaugual One Day International against England
at Stormont despite a series of low scores in the preceding C&G Trophy matches, Botha vindicated the selectors' judgement by top-scoring with 52 against a first-rate attack including Steve Harmison
, Liam Plunkett
and Sajid Mahmood
. Since then, Botha has evinced a marked aptitude for One Day Internationals, averaging 39.66 in three ODIs to date, with a top score of 56 achieved against the Netherlands during Ireland's victorious 2006 European Cricket Championship campaign.
In August 2006, Botha was named in the 14 man squad which will represent Ireland at both the World Cricket League
in Kenya and the Caribbean-hosted World Cup later the same year. He finished the provincial season with an insuperable batting average of 120.20 from ten innings.
Botha bowled well in the World Cricket League tournament, taking 13 wickets at an average of 21.30. Only one player took more wickets in the tournament.
In Ireland's second match in the 2007 World Cup
, Botha achieved excellent bowling figures
of 8-4-5-2, helping Ireland to a shock victory over Pakistan
.
In January 2010 Cricket Ireland, the governing body for cricket in Ireland, awarded Botha a full-time contract. He was one of six players awarded such contracts with Cricket Ireland, and came just a year after the first professional contracts were awarded to Ireland's cricketers. Before that players were amateurs relying on income from other jobs and playing cricket in their spare time. The contract allowed Botha and the others to focus on cricket, with the aim of improving ahead of the 2011 World Cup
.
Botha was selected in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup
. In May 2011, Botha announced his retirement from international cricket.
in February 2007, and 234 for the sixth wicket against Scotland with Alex Cusack
in August 2007. The 360 with Morgan is also Ireland’s highest partnership for any wicket. Botha’s 186 against Scotland in August 2007 was the highest individual score for Ireland in a home match.
Botha's extraordinary figures of 2/5 of eight overs in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup pool match against Pakistan deserve mention; while taking only two wickets, the figures equalled the record for the most economical eight over spell in the history of the World Cup.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-born Irish cricketer. He played 55 times in all for Ireland, including the 2005 ICC Trophy
2005 ICC Trophy
Ireland beat Bermuda easily as Ed Joyce made 103 for the hosts in Stormont.----Denmark beat Uganda by 28 runs as Thomas Munkholt Hansen took 6 for 30 to carry Denmark to a 28-run win over Uganda in Muckamore. Denmark made 197 with Henrik Saxe Hansen making 71...
and the European Championship
European Cricket Championship
The European Cricket Championship is a group of various tournaments in which national cricket sides throughout Europe compete. The tournament is designed to encourage and develop the best players in countries where cricket is not a major sport and Europe's only Test cricket playing country,...
in 2004 and 2006. Botha retired in May 2011.
Domestic career
A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, Botha played provincial cricket for Griqualand WestGriqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
in his native South Africa.
Botha was the resident professional at Clontarf Cricket Club from 1994 until his switch to North County in 2000. A prolific batsman at club level, Botha contributed to North County's Irish Senior Cup victories in 2001, 2003,2005 and 2007 as well as garnering four consecutive Leinster Senior League winners' medals between 2003 and 2006.
International career
Esteemed among the leading all-rounderAll-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
s in domestic cricket, the newly-eligible Botha débuted for his adopted country in Ireland's August 2001 C&G Trophy
C&G Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties compete each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland...
victory over Wiltshire
Wiltshire County Cricket Club
Wiltshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Wiltshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
, although he started inauspiciously, registering nought with the bat and 1-50 with the ball.
A fixture in the Irish team thereafter, Botha's form temporarily deserted him during Ireland's momentous summer of 2005. Selected at #3 in the batting order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
throughout the group phase of the 2005 ICC Trophy
2005 ICC Trophy
Ireland beat Bermuda easily as Ed Joyce made 103 for the hosts in Stormont.----Denmark beat Uganda by 28 runs as Thomas Munkholt Hansen took 6 for 30 to carry Denmark to a 28-run win over Uganda in Muckamore. Denmark made 197 with Henrik Saxe Hansen making 71...
, Botha recorded a dismal average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 9.5 for the tournament, twice succumbing on zero. However, his economical bowling contributed eight wickets to the Irish cause, and helped the team (which ultimately finished second in the competition) land a qualifying berth for the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
.
In marked contrast to his ICC Trophy form, the runs flowed freely from Botha's bat during Ireland's conquest of the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup
2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup
The 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup was the second edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, a cricket competition for 12 nations from Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. All the games were scheduled for three days and were designated first class....
. A tournament average of 66.00 encompassed an international career-best 97 against the Netherlands
Dutch cricket team
The Dutch cricket team is a national cricket team representing the Netherlands. It is administered by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond which is based in Nieuwegein in the centre of the country and is older than many renowned cricket clubs in the West Indies, Australia, and New...
at Stormont
Stormont (cricket ground)
Stormont is a first-class cricket ground in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the grounds of the Stormont Estate, the seat of government in Northern Ireland, and is the home of Civil Service North of Ireland Cricket Club....
, and knocks of 78 and 43* in the final victory over Kenya
Kenyan cricket team
The Kenya national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Kenya in international cricket matches. They are considered one of the strongest of the associate member nations of the International Cricket Council, especially since reaching the semi-final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
at Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
. Botha also accounted for eight wickets at 25.50 with his medium-paced bowling during the course of the tournament.
Selected for Ireland's inaugual One Day International against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
at Stormont despite a series of low scores in the preceding C&G Trophy matches, Botha vindicated the selectors' judgement by top-scoring with 52 against a first-rate attack including Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
, Liam Plunkett
Liam Plunkett
Liam Edward Plunkett is an English cricketer, who plays for Durham and England. In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, with 51 wickets at a bowling average of 30.84, including eight for 88 in his first game of the season against Leicestershire.-Test cricket:Plunkett...
and Sajid Mahmood
Sajid Mahmood
Sajid "Saj" Iqbal Mahmood is an English cricketer of Pakistani descent...
. Since then, Botha has evinced a marked aptitude for One Day Internationals, averaging 39.66 in three ODIs to date, with a top score of 56 achieved against the Netherlands during Ireland's victorious 2006 European Cricket Championship campaign.
In August 2006, Botha was named in the 14 man squad which will represent Ireland at both the World Cricket League
2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One
The 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One was a One Day International cricket tournament played from 29 January 2007 to 7 February 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. Division One, which is the successor to the now defunct ICC 6 Nations Challenge, is the highest tier of the World Cricket League, and is...
in Kenya and the Caribbean-hosted World Cup later the same year. He finished the provincial season with an insuperable batting average of 120.20 from ten innings.
Botha bowled well in the World Cricket League tournament, taking 13 wickets at an average of 21.30. Only one player took more wickets in the tournament.
In Ireland's second match in the 2007 World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, Botha achieved excellent bowling figures
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...
of 8-4-5-2, helping Ireland to a shock victory over Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
.
In January 2010 Cricket Ireland, the governing body for cricket in Ireland, awarded Botha a full-time contract. He was one of six players awarded such contracts with Cricket Ireland, and came just a year after the first professional contracts were awarded to Ireland's cricketers. Before that players were amateurs relying on income from other jobs and playing cricket in their spare time. The contract allowed Botha and the others to focus on cricket, with the aim of improving ahead of the 2011 World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
.
Botha was selected in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
. In May 2011, Botha announced his retirement from international cricket.
Statistics
Botha is only the fourth Irish player to have achieved the double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets. Botha has also taken part in two of Ireland’s record partnerships; 360 for the third wicket against UAE with Eoin MorganEoin Morgan
Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan is an Irish cricketer who plays for the England national cricket team. A left-handed batsman, he plays county cricket for Middlesex and has been selected for England's Test, ODI and Twenty20 squads. He originally represented his native Ireland at international level...
in February 2007, and 234 for the sixth wicket against Scotland with Alex Cusack
Alex Cusack
Alex Richard Cusack is an Australian-born Irish cricketer. A club cricketer for Clontarf, Cusack was a carpenter by trade until he was granted a professional contract with the Irish Cricket Union in 2009. He is a middle-order right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm medium-fast. Cusack made his...
in August 2007. The 360 with Morgan is also Ireland’s highest partnership for any wicket. Botha’s 186 against Scotland in August 2007 was the highest individual score for Ireland in a home match.
Botha's extraordinary figures of 2/5 of eight overs in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup pool match against Pakistan deserve mention; while taking only two wickets, the figures equalled the record for the most economical eight over spell in the history of the World Cup.
External links
- North County Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- CricketEurope Stats Zone profile
- Top wicket-takers in 2007 ICC WCL Division One from CricketArchive