Former South African cricketer Mark Boucher stated that reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final demonstrates the team’s capabilities, and that winning it might usher in a new era for the South African cricket community.
Boucher acknowledged that the Proteas have received criticism along the way, but emphasised the importance of focussing on the difficulties ahead of them. He remarked that they had played the scheduled teams and beaten them, which was all that mattered. He expressed joy about the opportunity to compete in the final and observed the passion of the people, who flocked to the venue to see the event.
“Many individuals have attacked South Africa, which is not entirely fair. You play what’s in front of you, and with all due respect, we arguably should have beaten the teams we’ve played against, which we have. So we’re in the finals. But I wouldn’t say it’s gotten the crowds moving in our country,” Boucher.
“Everyone is quite excited about it now that the opportunity has arisen; many people will fly to London, spend all of their Rands, and see what should be a wonderful match. If we win, I believe it will be a turning point in our country’s Test cricket,” he said.
Boucher responded to former player Michael Vaughan’s claim that South Africa had an easy path to the WTC final since it did not face England or Australia,
Noting that the schedule was decided by the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The former wicketkeeper-batsman also stated that, while the Proteas have suffered heartbreak in recent elimination matches, including multiple semi-final exits and three successive T20 World Cup final losses (two in the women’s and one in the men’s), the red-ball format presents a unique challenge.
“We’re playing for a trophy, so I imagine a lot of people are saying no [we can’t win], but I believe there’s a different vibe in Test match cricket. It takes longer to play, and you must also win big times in the game. Yes, there will be that tag [chokers] thrown our way until we win a trophy,” the former wicketkeeper-batsman admitted.
“You are not going to remove the tag. Is it deserving of these young people to come through? No, it’s almost as if they’re bearing the load of what happened in prior years, which will always be difficult for them, but they’re in charge of their own futures right now,” he continued.
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