Johan Botha joins Netherlands coaching staff for World Cup League 2 series

Utrecht: Former South Africa ODI captain Johan Botha has been appointed as a consultant to the Netherlands men's cricket team for its upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 series against Namibia and Nepal later this month.

The matches will be played at Kampong in Utrecht as the Dutch side looks to strengthen its campaign in the World Cup qualification pathway.

The 44-year-old Botha represented South Africa in 78 One-Day Internationals and 40 Twenty20 Internationals before moving into coaching. His coaching résumé includes serving as head coach of Australia's Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat, besides working with franchise teams in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Big Bash League.

Expressing his enthusiasm about the new role, Botha said he was looking forward to working with the Dutch squad during a crucial phase of the competition.

"I really look forward to joining the Netherlands team in this important period in the World Cup League 2 against Namibia and Nepal. Having tracked their progress over the past few years, it will be great to work with the players, coaches and staff," he said.

Welcoming the appointment, KNCB High Performance Board member Sybrand Engelbrecht said Botha's extensive international and franchise coaching experience would be a valuable addition to the team's support staff.

"We're very pleased to have Johan on board. He is an extremely experienced coach, with stints at the PSL, CPL, MLC, Big Bash and Queensland cricket," Engelbrecht said.

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