Proteas T20 captain Botha opts out of national contract to captain South Australia

Johannesburg, Mar 31(ANI): South Africa Twenty20 captain Johan Botha has been released from the national contract by the Cricket South Africa (CSA), which would permit him to take on the role of South Australia captain for the next two seasons.

CSA's acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, announced this board decision on Friday, in a statement.

"Johan has been an excellent servant of South African cricket for a lengthy period of time and we will never forget the manner in which he captained the Proteas to success in the absence of Graeme Smith in the away ODI series in Australia in 2009," Sports24 quoted Faul's statement, as saying.

"He has fully committed himself to the Proteas for the next five months which includes the away series in Zimbabwe and England as well as the World Twenty20 and is, at the moment, our first choice spinner in the T20 format," the statement added.

"However, he has had an offer to captain South Australia over the next two seasons and this will provide valuable opportunities in broadening his experience in a leadership role. I must stress that Johan remains fully committed to South African cricket in the long run and is by no means bringing down the curtain on his international career for the Proteas," the statement further added.

Meanwhile, Botha expressed his thanks to CSA for his contract release, and claimed that his decision is due to pure cricketing reason, and money isn't involved in it.I remain fully committed to the Proteas in the long term. But I would hate to look back on my career at the end and regret that I did not take this opportunity," Botha said.It is purely a cricket decision and there is no financial incentive in accepting it. If anything I will be earning less than I would as a contracted player," he added. (ANI)