Mark Boucher’s Career Statistics:
Mark Boucher, coach of South Africa since December, is in many ways different from most of his countrymen. But if not democratic the virus is nothing. “I was cleaning up my garage and trying to stay fit,” he said on Tuesday, in an audio file released by Cricket South Africa. “I wanted to get away, take the family somewhere and maybe play some golf and go to the woods. It wasn’t possible. We bid our time. I’ve got a little under two–, so he’s keeping me and my wife busy running around the house. There’s no sport on TV, so there’s not a lot of TV to watch.”
Perhaps Boucher is not interested in watching 24/7 news broadcasts on the only story that matters. Last month, South Africa became part of the saga when their tour to India, comprising three ODIs, was called off after the first game washed out due to concerns about the virus spread. “That was unfortunate because judging ourselves against [India] as a young side would have been nice,” Boucher said.
Even though he and his players are among the most fortunate members of the worldwide cricket family: “I don’t think our plans have ever been interrupted. We were very happy that we’d still have a break at this time. It could be an opportunity [for the players] to get rid of a few niggles that their bodies have picked up. The goal will be to rest for the first two or three weeks and mentally and physically refresh yourself. We’ve put some programs around your household on how to keep yourself fit and healthy. They will stick to their discipline. They will be checked after the time of lockdown.
Boucher said it went not only for those currently in the national squad but also for the “30 or 40” who might be interested at the senior and A team levels when cricket resumes. There is good reason to take him seriously, along with Sisanda Magala, Jon- Smuts, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Lungi Ngidi sent to a camp last season to strengthen their fitness. Chances of playing for South Africa were denied to Magala and Smuts because they fell short of the required norm. “You need to be fit because of all the new health clauses that we are going to bring into contracts,” Boucher said. “In the recent past, we have seen that players who aren’t fit enough are not being picked. Players are professionals and they need to do what they can.”
Regardless of any other variables, those who put in the effort and succeeds will be rewarded. Boucher, with the aid of selectors, has already shown that. Each of them made their Test debuts in the series against England by Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Pieter Malan, Dane Paterson, and Beuran Hendricks, who were also opponents of the first taste of ODI cricket offered Smuts, Lutho Sipamla and Bjorn Fortuin. Pite van Biljon made his T20 bow against Australia, and Janneman Malan, Kyle Verreynne and Daryn Dupavillon all cracked the nod in the ODIs. In terms of age, the twelve players range from Sipamla, 21, to Van Biljon, 33.
The steady stream of new staff required careful monitoring, as Boucher explained: “You don’t give six or seven youngsters an opportunity. You give one or two of them an opportunity and you have some older players around them. No senior player in the franchise system is being ignored. At the moment, I’m not too concerned about age. If you perform at the franchise level you should be able to get a chance if we rest a few players.”
Boucher said his message to players coming into the squad was: “You’re going to get a chance. We’re resting a senior player. He’s keeping his place. And when he comes back, no matter what effort you’ve put in, he’s rightly keeping that role.”
The effect of all that tinkering was mixed. In 2019-20, South Africa won seven of their finished matches and lost a further eight. They went down to England in the Test and T20 series and tied the ODI rubber and Australia claimed the T20 series. Going into the ODIs against the Aussies, South Africa had won just four of its dozen finished games. To ease the blow of what remains a losing effort, they reeled off a hat-trick of successes.
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