Jackie Botten dies aged 67

Jackie Botten, the former South African fast-medium bowler, died on Sunday at the Unitas Hospital, Pretoria at the age of 67. He had had a series of colon operations from which he did not recover.

Botten, who varied his pace cleverly and had the abilty to move the ball towards the slips, played three Tests, all on the 1965 tour of England, where he shared the new ball with Peter Pollock, taking eight wickets at 42.12 as South Africa won the series 1-0. On the whole tour his 33 wickets cost 24.78, but he never took more than three in an innings.

Botten made his debut for North Eastern Transvaal in 1957-58, and in the following season was named one of the country's Cricketers of the Year after taking 63 wickets in only seven matches. The highlight of the season came when he took 15 for 49, including a career-best 9 for 23 in the first innings, against Griqualand West. After another good campaign the following season, he was considered unlucky to miss out on the tour to England in 1960, although he was part of the Fezela side that visited in 1961.

He never really recaptured that early form, although he continued playing through to 1971-72, finishing with 399 wickets at 20.36.

Botten was also a professional with Arcadia in the National Football League.

"Jackie was a special bowler and to my mind still, as I told him at Denis Lindsay's funeral when I last saw him, holds the record for the best domestic season when in 1958-59 he took 63 wickets in a mere seven Currie Cup matches at an average of 10.53," said Vince van der Bijl, general manager of Cricket South Africa. "He was known and was a man of the highest integrity and charm."

"Jackie has been an honorary member of Northerns Cricket Union since 1993 and it is with much sadness that we learnt of his passing," Elise Lombard, chief executive officer of the Northerns Cricket Union, told News24.com. "His time with Northerns spanned three decades and included the period when he was an honorary member. Botten actively participated in the union's affairs, in particular through a period of significant transformation, to become one of the leading unions in the country."