SA Coach Mark Boucher: 'Youngsters Don't Deserve Chokers Tag But Can't Get...'
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South Africa coach Mark Boucher admits the team can't shed the 'chokers' tag until they win an ICC trophy.
South Africa coach Mark Boucher has admitted that his team can't get rid of the 'chokers' tag until they win an ICC trophy, irrespective of how unfair it was on the current generation of young cricketers. Boucher, speaking just days ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's, motivated his players by declaring that they were 'in control of their futures at the moment'.
South Africa last won a senior men's ICC title in 1998. They are considered one of the best teams to not get their hands on one in this century. Both men's and women's teams have come quite close several times, like losing the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup for both categories to India and New Zealand, respectively.
'We're playing for a trophy, so I guess a lot of people are saying no [we can't win], but I think it's a different feel in Test match cricket," Boucher said. 'It's played over a longer period of time, and you've just got to win big moments in the game as well. Yes, there will be that tag [chokers] that gets thrown our way until we win a trophy. You're not going to get rid of the tag. Is it deserving of these youngsters coming through? No, it's almost like they're carrying the burden of what happened in previous years, which is always going to be tough on them, but they're the ones in control of their futures at the moment," he added.
Their opponents come to London with a contrasting history, not only as the defending champions, but as the side with the most ICC titles in the last two decades.
'Winning WTC could be a turnaround for Test cricket in South Africa'
South Africa's journey to the final has been heavily criticised. Though completely out of their control, most of their wins came against weaker opponents like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the two-year cycle included big losses to India and New Zealand. Australia, in comparison, convincingly beat India and New Zealand and still only narrowly made it through.
Boucher admitted that but felt that it couldn't take away from the opportunity his team had.
'A lot of people have criticised South Africa, which is not really fair. You play what's in front of you, and with all due respect, the sides that we've played against, we probably should have beaten, and we've done that. So we find ourselves in a final. But I wouldn't say that it has got the crowds going in our country. Everyone's very excited about it now, as the opportunity arises, a lot of people are going to travel over to London, spend all their Rands, and go watch what should be a good match. If we win it, I think that could be the turnaround for Test cricket in our country," he added.
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First Published:
June 08, 2025, 08:42 IST
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