The Proteas would be in safe hands if Mark Boucher was to be selected as the new national coach, writes Alasdair Fraser.
If you ever want to make a safe-as-houses bet, then look no further than the Titans coach.
Perhaps one of the most dependable players ever to don the green and gold, Boucher was a mainstay during an international career that spanned 15 years and saw him achieve 1,000 dismissals (including one wicket with ball in hand).
If there was any former player who knew the Proteas setup inside out it would be Bouch, having served under Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock and Graeme Smith.
Coaching the Proteas comes with its challenges, though. A political tightrope and other factors can be more of a hindrance than anything else that other Test-playing nations could even contemplate – let alone come to grips with.
But Bouch has a steely determination that is a rare commodity and perhaps just the right tonic for the Proteas to begin the third decade of the 21st century.
For a minute let’s look at what Boucher has to offer through a Utopian lens.
Since taking over the Titans reins, the Pretoria franchise have been nothing but meteoric in their rise. Winning several trophies at a canter.
They annexed last year’s Four-Day Cup with the same ease as to how Roger Federer soaks up his opponents before check-mating them without breaking a sweat. A good indication that Boucher has a sound mental hold over his troops.
A real plus factor is Boucher’s strong relationship with Jacques Kallis. A blue-chip asset in his own right, Kallis will no doubt help out his best mate from time to time. South Africa’s greatest cricketer would be the ideal batting coach to mentor some of the fine up-and-coming talents at our disposal.
But for me, which I believe is the most important of all, is that the untimely and rather shoddily managed ‘situation’ that involved AB de Villiers would never happen under Boucher’s watch.
It’s just the way he operates and if CSA wants to create a new legacy in the coming decade it would be advisable to leave the Proteas in the safe hands of the recording-breaking former Proteas wicket-keeper.
Photo: Cricket South Africa/Twitter
