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CRICKET-RSA-ENG
South Africa coach Boucher remains a fighter
CENTURION, South Africa, Dec 30, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – During a playing career
of 147 Test matches, Mark Boucher had a reputation as a fighter, always
prepared to take on a challenge.
It’s a character trait which looks likely to continue in his new career as
South Africa’s head coach.
It was a “great feeling” to be in a winning Proteas dressing room after
the first Test against England on Sunday, seven years after his playing
career ended prematurely with a freak eye injury ahead of a Test series in
England in 2012.
“Just watching the guys walk in, there were a couple with lumps in their
throats. It means a lot for them to win a game of Test cricket,” he said. But
it was only a beginning. “There’s still a lot of work to be done for the rest
of the series.”
Boucher gave two indicators of his coaching philosophy when he discussed
wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, in both
cases stressing a preference for taking the fight to the opposition.
De Kock’s first innings of 95 turned the match in South Africa’s favour.
In the second innings he hit three sixes off England’s fast bowling hope
Jofra Archer in a brief but spectacular statement of intent. Rabada took
seven wickets in the match despite seeming to struggle for rhythm and
consistency.
Boucher approved of De Kock’s seemingly cavalier batting style. “I’m all
for counter-punches on the type of wicket we had. If you just hang around
there to try and bide your time you are probably going to get a good one that
gets you out. The English bowled really well in the first innings until
Quinny came along. (Then) they maybe changed their lines and lengths, which
was good for us because of the pressure we put on them.”
Of the second innings assault, Boucher said: “You can have one Quinny in
your side, you probably can’t have eleven. You don’t want to hold a guy like
him back because he can take the game away from the opposition very, very
quickly.”
Boucher’s attitude towards Rabada was similarly straightforward. “It’s
just about getting him into the game. Sometimes as individuals you feel like
you’re under a bit of pressure and you start worrying about your action and
where you are putting the ball,” he said.
– South African problem –
“Sometimes you have to forget about your technique and get into a bit of a
fight out there. The goal was to try to get him into the game and let his
natural instinct take over.”
Dealing with practical player issues is just one part of Boucher’s job. He
will soon have to deal with a uniquely South African problem – that of the
racial composition of the team. There were seven white players in the eleven
at Centurion, while Rabada was the only black African. Although Cricket South
Africa’s board is effectively dysfunctional following the upheavals which
resulted in Graeme Smith being made interim director of cricket and Boucher
head coach, official policy remains that over a season there should be an
average of six players of colour, including at least two black Africans, in
the national team.
Meeting the targets has been complicated by injuries to batsman Temba
Bavuma and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, with the latter ruled out of the series.
Bavuma missed Centurion because of a hip injury and the discussion about
bringing him back into the side may be deferred until after the second Test,
starting in Cape Town on Friday, because Boucher said the player was still
feeling pain.
“If I look at our middle order now it would be very tough for us to leave
Rassie (van der Dussen) out. He played a very important knock in this Test
match,” said Boucher, who added that the coaching staff would “continue to
work with Temba in a very specific way to try to get Temba to be the best
player he can be.”
Boucher said he understood the need for racial transformation – but
indicated an emphasis on bringing players up to the required standard rather
than simply meeting numerical targets. “We understand that we need to do a
lot of hard work on a lot of players,” he said.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1637 hrs