Cricket Archive

1965 Springbok tourist dies by Peter Martin

Player:

James Thomas "Jackie" Botten, who played three Tests for South Africa on the 1965 tour of England by South Africa, died on May 14 in Unitas Hospital, Pretoria at the age of 67.

Botten had had a series of colon operations from which he did not recover.

He was a right-hand fast-medium bowler who was a constant thorn in the flesh to opposing sides in South African domestic cricket.

He played for North-Eastern Transvaal (later Northerns) between 1957-58 and 1971-72 and for years carried their bowling attack.

He made an early impression with match-figures of 15 for 49 against Griqualand West at Pretoria in 1958-59 including his career-best innings figures of 9/23.

On another occasion he captured 9-29 against Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in a Currie Cup match in Pretoria in 1963-64.

In his three Tests Botten bowled alongside Peter Pollock and Richard Dumbrill and South Africa won the series 1-0. He captured eight Test wickets (average 42.12) and in his first-class career he took 399 wickets at 20.36.

Botten was a useful lower-order batsman who scored four half-centuries with a top score of 90.