Boucher, Bavuma’s bond is stronger than ever
MARK Boucher and Temba Bavuma. From the outside, a union as inconceivable as oil and water.
The one considered by large parts of the country to be an alleged racist. The other a beacon of black African excellence. A relationship destined for the divorce court if ever there was one.
But yet with only a couple of months left before Boucher exits the Proteas national team to join up with the Mumbai Indians, the bond between coach and captain is as strong as it’s ever been.
Often the greatest alliances are built upon mutual suffering, and individually they have endured the worst vitriol of a much-divided South African nation. Before it was Bavuma that had leapt to Boucher’s defence during his travails. Now it was Boucher’s turn to steadfastly support his skipper after the public furore that has broken out over Bavuma’s omission from the SA20 League earlier this week.
“Let’s separate the national team from the league for a moment,” Boucher told the media on Wednesday ahead of the Proteas departure to India for a limited-overs tour. “What happens in leagues and auctions, you can’t control that; unfortunately, it is what it is. From a Proteas perspective, we do back him 100% and going into a massive tournament like a (T20) World Cup, he will be a massive part of our team.
“Temba Bavuma is our leader, and I back him 100%. Yes, there is a lot of talk on social media about all the stuff, about this and that; I don’t really care. He is our leader, and we back him in this team like you can’t believe.
“The guys were there last night, we were having a couple of drinks, and I could just see the energy around him because I understand the situation he is going through. The bottom line is we are on a journey, and we have been on a journey the last two years.”
Both Boucher and Bavuma, along with the rest of the Proteas, visited Robben Island earlier this week and perhaps while strolling through the prison cells of South Africa’s late former State President Nelson Mandela they both realised that the greatest triumphs have often stemmed from surviving great adversity.