Boucher named Titans coach as Walter heads to NZ

23 August 2016 - 10:57 By CHUMANI BAMBANI

"The time has come for me to give back to the game," said former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher yesterday as he was announced as the new coach of the Titans. The 39-year-old was forced to retire in 2012 after being struck in the eye by a bail in a tour match in Somerset, England.After a four-year break from active involvement in the game, aside from TV commentary, Boucher was named to replace Rob Walter at the Centurion-based side. Walter will be head coach of Otago in New Zealand from Thursday next week.The Titans enjoyed a successful period under Walter, which culminated in the Ram Slam Twenty20 and Sunfoil Series titles in the 2015-2016 season. "It is an honour and privilege to be given this opportunity to try something new in my career," said Boucher. "Obviously I have never been coach before, so it is a challenge, personally."I do understand they are a successful franchise, with a lot of fantastic players and a lot of Proteas players. Taking over from someone like Rob Walter, who has done a fantastic job, is something I'll be excited about and hopefully will enjoy. The guys I had played with in the Proteas setup said this is the home of cricket in South Africa, so I'm looking forward to coaching here."The Titans, despite having cast their net wider for a replacement for Walter, were satisfied with shortlisting only Boucher for the job."I cannot mention names as some are still employed [elsewhere]," Titans chief executive Jacques Faul said about the candidates who had applied for the post."We considered all applications and the committee ended up with a shortlist. We interviewed one applicant (Boucher) and we were satisfied. We were looking for somebody that looks credible standing in front of a squad that has done well in the past. That is important to us," said Faul."I don't think you get the complete person that has done all his [coaching] levels, coached for 20 years and played for 20 years."Mark has the cricket side behind him. We have a programme to develop him as a manager and coach. We think he is definitely a natural leader and he is what the squad needs at this stage."..

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