Selectors ‘must sort out wicketkeeper’s position’
HE admits he is no longer close enough to the action to make bulletproof assessments of the Proteas selections but Mark Boucher believes greater clarity is needed around the position he vacated.
“I see ourselves getting into a little bit of a hole with regards to selecting,” he said about the vexed wicketkeeper’s position. “You select one guy to cover ODIs and T20s and another for test cricket,” said Boucher about the way Quinton de Kock, Morne van Wyk and Dane Vilas have played musical chairs.
“For a guy like Quinnie, who opens in one-day cricket, maybe his best position is batting seven. He doesn’t have to face the new ball. Maybe play him in a role like Adam Gilchrist had for Australia,” said Boucher as he prepared to play in the Gary Player Invitational at the Lost City.
De Kock, largely through his immense potential with the bat, was expected to fill Boucher’s boots across all formats. Injury and a disastrous World Cup complicated matters and his star waned until he found form in the recent one-day internationals in India. The damage, however, was done and he had to return home having lost his place in the test side to Vilas, who has grabbed his opportunity.
“I’m a little disappointed not seeing him in India,” Boucher said about De Kock’s absence in the tests. “We might get ourselves in a bit of a tangle, he should have been in India to learn if not play.
“I know Dane and I’m a fan because I played with him. He is a fantastic player. He works incredibly hard. He is the incumbent and must play. Where they [the selectors] are going with it I don’t know.”
Boucher found De Kock’s fall from grace unexpected.
“I am a little surprised. Unfortunately he is human. He got off to a flying start to his career. Then he went through a slump at the World Cup. They probably shouldn’t have played him as much as they did. I understand why they did it. Maybe they thought he’d come right and win us a game. In hindsight, they should probably have given him a break.”
Boucher’s departure as well as that of Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith has left craters in Russell Domingo’s side. They had long occupied their stations in the side but Boucher reminded that continued success will only come if the current crop develops a new culture.
“You look at when Mickey Arthur came in, he created his own culture. He worked closely with Graeme to create a culture within that side based on certain disciplines and beliefs.
“Then Gary [Kirsten] came in. He added a dimension and it worked as well because we got to No 1 in the world.
“With a new coach and captain coming in they must find their own culture. You don’t want to do the same.
“There has been a teething stage and there has been one or two little gaps everyone is talking about that needs patching up. Whether it is going to happen soon or not I’m not sure. We are going to try to be patient and we were not because we are passionate. We want to win and win all the time. If you are being sincere about it, we’ve got fantastic players who can beat any team in the world on their day.”
Quinton de Kock should have been in India to learn if not play I’m a fan of Dane. He is a fantastic player. He works incredibly hard