South Africa Head Coach Mark Boucher: Following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November, South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher will step down from his position, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Monday.
Since taking over in December 2019, Boucher has steered the Proteas to 11 Test victories, including a remarkable 2-1 series victory against India at home in January. In a statement, CSA stated that “ Mr. Boucher had made the decision to leave in order to “pursue new options in keeping with his future professional and personal ambitions.”
“While Cricket SA greatly regrets that Mr. Boucher is unable to see out the term of his contract, it respects his decision and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.” The Proteas are also currently number two on the ICC World Test Championship table. In the limited-overs arena, Boucher has helped South Africa claim 12 ODI wins, and 23 T20 International victories, the most recent being a historic 2-1 series triumph against England.
The team’s final series under his supervision will be a white-ball tour of India from September 28 to October 11 before moving on to the T20 World Cup in Australia, where South Africa is grouped with Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
The T20 World Cup will run from October 16 to November 13.
What CSA Chief Executive Officer Pholetsi Moseki said about Mark Boucher?
“We are extremely grateful to him for the work he has done and would like to wish him well with the next chapter of his career.” Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe added: “We are deeply saddened by Mark’s decision to leave us but we also understand and respect his wishes. He is a Proteas legend and has done so much for the game in our country, both on the field and over the last three years off it, which we highly appreciate.
“He has built a sound platform for South Africa to flourish in all three formats and I’m sure we will see the results of that at the T20 World Cup next month. He has a settled squad already, one that is growing in confidence, and we look forward to watching them in their important series in India before they head to Australia.” CSA said it will in due course make an announcement regarding a successor to Boucher.
