Former wicketkeeper Mark Boucher appointed as Proteas head coach till 2023

Former South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has officially been appointed as the Proteas' coach till 2023 following the turmoil that has racked Cricket South Africa in recent months. While Enoch Nkwe, who was the interim team director, taking up the role of assistant coach. The Proteas have been in the spotlight after their 3-0 series defeat against India and their seventh-place finish in the ICC Cricket World Cup. CSA’s woes continued after three of its officials had to be suspended over the allegations that they neglected their duties. Earlier on Wednesday, former skipper Graeme Smith had been appointed as the interim director of Cricket South Africa until the IPL next year. 

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'CSA in big trouble'

Mark Boucher had recently said that South Africa had got themselves in a pretty bad state and hoped that there were some smart people around to turn things around for the beleaguered cricket board. Boucher claimed that Cricket South Africa was in big trouble. Boucher told reporters that Mzansi Super League (MSL), SA’s version of Indian Premier League (IPL), cannot mask or solve Cricket South Africa’s problems. 

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'He will bring the toughness required'

Newly-appointed CSA acting director, Graeme Smith on Saturday said that he has brought in Boucher as the Head Coach because he feels he will bring the 'toughness' required to turn a young and inexperienced South African squad into a battle-ready outfit. Smith said, "With his experience of a long career as an international cricketer he has first-hand experience of what it takes to succeed in the Test arena." The South African squad has been unable to strike chords as the Proteas have lost their last 5 Test matches with two of those coming as an innings defeat against India. Furthermore, Smith added, "There is a clear need to maintain continuity and stability in the Proteas management team and we will be retaining the technical support staff along with Volvo Masubelele continuing as team manager and Justin Ontong as fielding coach."

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