Botha appointed South Africa T20 captain

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Off-spinner Johan Botha has  replaced Graeme Smith as South Africa’s Twenty20 captain,  Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced yesterday.

Smith announced he was stepping down from that role earlier  this week.

Botha, 28, impressed as Proteas skipper after leading South  Africa to a 4-1 away one-day international series win against   Australia during the 2008/9 season.

“I really enjoyed the captaincy when I stood in for Graeme  before and I am proud to be offered the job now. I am looking  forward to working with such a special team,” Botha said in a  statement.

Botha, who has played in three tests, 57 ODIs and 21  Twenty20 matches, has had a controversial career, having been  investigated twice by the International Cricket Council (ICC)  for an alleged illegal bowling action.

South Africa’s convener of selectors Andrew Hudson said   Botha had all the qualities to succeed as captain.

“His appointment is part of the process of refreshing our  Twenty20 squad and also deciding whether to follow the route of  having different captains for different formats of the game,” he  said.