Mark Boucher will step down as Proteas coach after T20 World Cup
Image: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Cricket SA (CSA) has announced that Proteas head coach Mark Boucher will leave his role after the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
The World Cup starts on October 16 and ends on November 13.
The announcement come on the day England clinched their win against SA by nine wickets in the third Test at the Oval to take the series 2-1.
“Boucher has decided to resign to pursue other opportunities in line with his future career and personal objectives,” CSA said.
“While CSA greatly regrets that Boucher is unable to see out the term of his contract, it respects his decision and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.
“Boucher has held the position since December 2019 and led the Proteas to 11 Test wins, including a memorable 2-1 series win against India at home in January. The Proteas are also No 2 on the ICC World Test Championship table.
“In the limited-overs arena, Boucher has helped SA claim 12 One-Day Internationals wins, and 23 T20 International victories, the most recent being a historic 2-1 series triumph against England.
“His last series at the helm will be a white-ball tour of India from September 28 to October 11 before heading to the T20 World Cup in Australia, where SA are grouped alongside Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. The tournament will run from October 16 — November 13.”
CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said: “We would like to thank Mark for the time and effort he has invested in SA cricket as the head coach over the past three years. He has helped navigate us rough waters after the departure of so many senior players through retirement and has helped lay strong foundations for the next generation of Proteas.
“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 said: “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 past three years off it, which we highly appreciate.
“He has built a sound platform for SA 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 would “announce its intentions regarding a successor to Boucher in due course”.
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