BBL 2020-21: Johan Botha comes out of retirement, rejoins Hobart Hurricanes
Former South African captain Johan Botha has decided to come out of retirement. He will represent the Hobart Hurricanes in BBL 2020-21, a statement on the franchise's official website revealed.
Johan Botha announced his retirement in January 2019 after a match for Hobart Hurricanes against Sydney Sixers at the SCG, which the former lost.
The former South African spinner cited physical fatigue as the reason for his retirement back then. Johan Botha, however, has now stated that, after a two-year break, he feels his body is refreshed, and is ready for the BBL challenge again.
“Obviously, the Hurricanes is the last team I finished with, and it wasn’t quite the end I wanted. There were four games to go in the season back then, and the guys were playing really good cricket.
“I didn’t think I’d get another opportunity to play, and then chatting to Ben Rohrer and Griff (Adam Griffith) and they said there might be an opportunity coming up for me.
“It was a choice between ‘Do I further my coaching career, or do I miss the first couple of games of the Pakistan Super League?',” the former South African cricketer was quoted as explaining by the Hobart Hurricanes website.
Botha also holds the post of Assistant Coach of the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League T20. He added that his fitness levels and the thought that he can still contribute to the team helped him take the final decision.
The all-rounder has earlier represented the Adelaide Strikers, the Sydney Sixers in the BBL apart from Hobart Hurricanes. Johan Botha will join the Hurricanes franchise as a local player, having been granted Australian citizenship in 2016.
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Charlie Wakim to join Johan Botha at Hobart Hurricanes
Apart from Johan Botha, Tasmanian Tigers’ Charlie Wakim has also been added to the Hobart Hurricanes squad. They come in as replacements for Matthew Wade and Tim Paine, who will be away on international duty.
Wakim (29) is a handy right-hand batsman and was earlier a part of the Sydney Sixers Academy. Caleb Jewell, a local batsman, will also be part of the team as a replacement player till Mitch Owen recovers from a stress fracture.