Upon the Test series win over Bangladesh last summer, Mark Boucher gave his honest reflection on his tenure as Proteas Head Coach. As honest as he was, it was still a shock to see him announce his departure from the side post-T20 World Cup. | ✍️ Ongama Gcwabe

The Mark Boucher regime was one that many South Africans will remember for a very long time. On the field, he started his tenure with a big win over England on Boxing Day at Centurion Park. Even though the team went on to lose that series 3-1, there was still hope that Boucher will turn things around. 

When he took over, the Proteas Test team was teetering at seventh place in the Test rankings and had absolutely no chance of contesting for the first-ever Word Test Championship campaign. The former Proteas wicket-keeper batter went into his work and got us to number three in the world and second place in the following edition of the WTC campaign. 

“I’ve really enjoyed coaching the guys. The cricketing side of things, we’ve got a really tight unit together. I’ve really enjoyed being around the guys and seeing their developments in their cricket.” said Boucher post the 2-0 series win over Bangladesh in April. 

There were many times where Boucher could’ve thrown in the towel and walked away from the national setup but he stood firm and focused on getting South Africa to where it once was. The first instance was the questioning of his appointment on the basis of his lack of qualifications to coach at that level. There were reports suggesting that he was hired because of his friendship with the then Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith. But Boucher stood his ground. 

The SJN Hearings came along and his name was mentioned by former teammate Paul Adams. But Boucher did not waiver, instead he issued an apology and looked to get on with his job. Then the refusal to take a knee at last year’s T20 Word Cup made things worse and his management of that situation came under intense scrutiny.

“It’s been tough. It’s quite difficult for me to say I’ve enjoyed that,” said Boucher. 

“I’m just being honest. I don’t think anyone in my situation can enjoy what’s been put in my plate but I’ve enjoyed the cricket side of things, so I’ll leave it at that,” he added.

It’s clear, as strong as Boucher is, the challenges he faced on and off the field did affect him. But it still came as a shock to see him decide to step down after next month’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Perhaps it makes it even more confusing seeing him leave for a coaching role in the T20 global leagues. 

“To lose sight of Test cricket and sort of lose games is not great. I’m a purist. I love Test cricket a bit. I think it’s the truest form of the game and one we need to look after and take care of.”

Boucher confessed his deep connection for the longest format of the game after the 3rd Test at The Oval. 

“I think the heads in the game of cricket need to get together and we need to find a way of how we’ll play more Test cricket. Especially with how the games are getting played now, it’s very seldom that you have draws. The more we see it, the better it’ll be for everyone,” said Boucher, a few hours before his decision to walk away from the national setup was officially announced. 

Perhaps the pressure took its toll and he decided enough is enough. Or maybe it’s another case of ‘everyone has a price’ as we all know the big cheques floating around in the global T20 leagues. Whatever the case may be, Boucher gave us many memorable games of cricket as a player and as coach and his service to the national team has not gone unnoticed.