Mark
Boucher, born on December 3, 1976, is Test cricket’s most prolific gloveman
with 546 dismissals. In fact, if one takes into account his One-Day
International (ODI) and T20 International record, he has a total of 999
dismissals as a wicketkeeper. Appearing in 147 Tests, 295 ODIs and 25 T20Is,
Boucher became one of the important members of the South African team. Nishad
Pai Vaidya picks nine little known facts about Boucher.
1. Growing up in East London
Boucher
hails from East London, Border. He was born to Verdon and Heather Boucher and
grew up with two sisters Mandy and Che’.
2. All-round sportsman
At
a young age, Boucher played many sports and excelled in his trade. In a chat
with Telegraph,
he said, “I represented Border schools at cricket, squash, swimming,
cross-country, tennis and rugby. I then went on to play for South African
Schools at cricket and squash.” While Boucher continued to play squash till his
early 20s, he took cricket very seriously when he was called up for the South
Africa under-19s to tour England in the year 1995.
3. Mentored by Richard Pybus
Boucher
was mentored by renowned coach Richard Pybus, who went on to work with
Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies. In a chat with Wisden, Pybus
said that he discovered Boucher’s talent during a wicketkeeping camp and was
very impressed by his natural athleticism.
4. Opening batsman on under-19
international debut
Boucher
made his debut for South Africa under-19 against England under-19 in 1995.
Interestingly, he was selected as an opening batsman for that series. Ahmed
Omar was the wicketkeeper for South Africa under-19s.
5. Only one wicket in major
cricket
Boucher
has only bowled once in major cricket, which was in a Test match against West
Indies in St John’s in 2005. He picked up the wicket of centurion Dwayne Bravo
with his eighth ball, which ended the West Indies innings. If one takes this
wicket into account and places it alongside his 999 dismissals with the gloves,
Boucher would have accounted for 1,000 victims in international cricket.
6. One international as a
non-wicketkeeper
In
2010, South Africa were trying to push AB de Villiers as a wicketkeeper, which
would have allowed South Africa to play the extra bowler or an all-rounder.
Boucher was thus benched during ODIs in West Indies, but was called up for the
fifth and final game. However, he was not handed the gloves and was on the
field, effective one brilliant catch at cover. This remains Boucher’s only international
game without the gloves.
7. From commentary box to the
dugout
During
the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2011, Boucher was not initially picked by any
side. As a result, he spent some time in the commentary box. But, with Brad
Haddin injuring himself, Kolkata Knight Riders opted for Boucher’s services and
he was soon in the middle.
8. Campaign against Rhino
poaching
Post
retirement, Boucher has supported a campaign against poaching of Rhinos. He has
joined hands with Castle Lager and has created a campaign with the name Boucher
Legacy, Rhino in Safe Hands.
9. Love for golf
Being
a versatile sportsman, Boucher tried his hand at golf later in life and has
taken a liking for it. In fact, he was concerned about his golfing future when
he was hurt by the bail on the tour of England, which ended his career.
Speaking to The Oprah Magazine, he said, “That was scary
for me: I didn’t know if I’d be able to drive again, or play golf, for example
— things I was looking forward to doing after retiring from cricket.”
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