Confidence Is Key – Mark Boucher

Interim director of cricket Graeme Smith met with members of the media in Cape Town on Saturday to announce the appointment of his coaching staff.

The former-Protea captain appointed current Tshwane Spartans, Mark Boucher to the role of head coach. Alongside him will sit Enoch Nkwe who coached the side to an unsuccessful India series in October. Both Boucher and Nkwe have been contracted until after the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. In another somewhat expected move, Smith reappointed Linda Zondi as the Convener of Selectors; a role Zondi played until after the World Cup earlier this year. Ashwell Prince is also set to be a part of the structure as the coach of South Africa ‘A’.

After a year that saw the Proteas finish seventh at the World Cup and lose a Test Series 3-0 to India, Boucher’s first mandate is clear: “The first thing I need to achieve is get the confidence of the players back. I think that is something that if we are brutally honest they have been through a tough time with the World Cup and the Indian tour, they haven’t had good coverage in the media and social media people and fans have been disappointed in the performances.

“So, if you look at it, if we are honest with ourselves, their confidence is a little low. For me, it’s about creating an environment where they can forget about all this stuff and get out there and start scoring runs and taking wickets to get their confidence back as soon as possible”

Boucher went on to say that he “has been involved in teams where confidence is low, maybe a couple of bad things have happened within the tea. But I am also a firm believer that in cricket and sport, you can turn things around very quickly.”

Boucher and Nkwe will host a camp from the 18th of December in preparation for the England Series. The first test begins on Boxing Day when Centurion plays host to the English.