Boucher’s win-loss statistics meaningless
HOW, then, to measure the coaching tenure of Mark Boucher?
By simple numbers, it was a bit like that old western: Not too good, nor was it all that bad, but occasionally it was ugly.
The latter resulted from the charges of racism Boucher faced off the field, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) wanting him fired.
The organisation backtracked on a disciplinary hearing, and Boucher was free to continue as head coach, until he chose not to do so.
His tenure ended at the men’s T20 World Cup in Adelaide in dreadfully familiar circumstances.
South Africa, with an opportunity to claim a spot in the semi-finals, failed to beat the Netherlands. Boucher rightfully said the team had no one else but themselves to blame. But back to those numbers. Boucher oversaw 98 matches across the three formats after taking over the coaching reins in tricky and controversial circumstances in December 2019. The team won 50 matches, lost 42, and there were six ‘no results’ in limited overs matches.
In various series in that time, there were 11 wins, 12 losses and four draws. In the two T20 World Cups, South Africa were bounced out before the semi-finals.
It’s a record that at best is mediocre.
However, there was so much more to the 34 months of Boucher’s time as head coach to consider.
The Covid pandemic is one, which meant extended squads, periods in isolation for players, and some players dropping out if they contracted the virus.
Before that, there was the captaincy drama around Faf du Plessis and then Quinton de Kock.
Then there was the resignation in August last year of assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, who had been Boucher’s predecessor, albeit in a temporary capacity with a role definition different to that of a head coach.
And the Indian Premier League, which Boucher now joins as coach of the Mumbai Indians, relieved South Africa of its best players for some critical series.
That’s going to be a problem Boucher’s successors will deal with, too.
The manner in which the Black Lives Matter situation played out was shambolic, with Boucher accused of wanting to deal with the white players, while leaving the team’s manager Khomotso Masubelele to deal with the black players.
It was unedifying.
Yet, at the same time, the players were attempting to address difficult questions about race, culture and empathy, all while strategising for cricket matches.
CSA’s administration was desperately trying to seek stability following years of chaos, which had led to distrust from players, sponsors and the public.
It is still an organisation that is battling to rebuild that trust, while at the same time ensuring that it can place itself on a firmer financial footing amid significant global challenges in a sport that is dominated by three nations.
All of which is to say that measuring Boucher’s tenure purely by wins and losses is superficial.
There were high points, like the Test series win against India, while the T20 series wins in the West Indies and Sri Lanka last year, and the series win in England earlier this year illustrated a team capable of achieving success.
However, in two World Cups, South Africa failed to emerge from the group stages, which, certainly in the tournament in Australia, indicates that the historic mental frailties were something Boucher was incapable of solving.
He is not alone in that category. Mixed with those highs were some inglorious lows; losing ODIs to Ireland and Bangladesh left the Proteas most likely needing to head to a qualifying tournament to ensure participation in next year’s 50-over World Cup.
The Test team’s batting is a big weakness which cost them a series in England, but is that Boucher’s fault or a system in which domestic players only play seven first-class matches in a season?*