Boucher to step down from Proteas role

Cricket South Africa on Monday announced that Proteas coach Mark Boucher would step down from his role after the conclusion of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Boucher took the reins in December 2019 and guided the team to 11 Test victories, including a memorable 2-1 series win away to India earlier in 2022, 12 ODI victories and 23 T20 wins.

Most recently, South Africa suffered a 2-1 defeat in their Test series away to England despite initially taking a 1-0 lead, though the final test was heavily disrupted by inclement weather on Day 1 and Queen Elizabeth II's death, which saw no play on Day 2.

He will continue to lead the side at the upcoming tour to India, where three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals will be played between 28 September and 11 October, before his last chance to challenge for a major title at the World Cup in Australia between October and November.

œWe 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," said Cricket SA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe.

œHe 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.

It is reported the former Proteas wicketkeeper is expected to take up the head coach role at MI Cape Town - the new franchise under the SA20 league, which will kick off in January 2023.

By Web Admin