In 1997, a scrawny, self-assured 20-year old Mark Boucher flew to Pakistan to make his Test debut. He had only ever played 14 first class matches, but he declared he wasn’t short of confidence and “didn’t reckon conditions will be too tough.” Ever since, Boucher has been present in the South African dressing room, a blazing, aggressive batsman in front of the stumps, and a reliable, uncomplicated ‘keeper behind them.
Boucher was never a favourite of the board and it wasn’t for lack of form or results. Just as many a cricketer had been stung by the whiplash of Boucher’s verbal, he was never one to worry about pleasing the selectors, and publicly put down their opinions if he believed they were devoid of credence. Lately, however his performances had come under increasing scrutiny, every dropped catch magnified and each dismissal amplified, and that prompted Boucher to take the hardest decision of his life.
He announced he would retire after the challenge he cherished most, taking on England in their backyard. It was one he had accomplished successfully in 2008, scoring a gritty, unbeaten 45 in the final innings to chase down England’s 283, when most teams, and indeed players, would have quietly crawled back into their shell, easing to the safety of a draw. Boucher scoffed at such caution, and along with his talismanic skipper Graeme Smith, led South Africa to their first Test series win over England since readmission.
The aesthetic symmetry would have pleased a statistician: his final Test would have been his 150th (at Lords, no less), he would get the 56 runs required to become the highest scoring wicket-keeper in history and he would achieve the two dismissals he required to get up to 1000 dismissals in international cricket. This series would be the swansong of a marvelous career, and, if South Africa beat England, the culmination of their goal to become the number one side in Test cricket. It was so idyllic, so perfect and so appropriate.
One day into the tour, Boucher was in hospital, having announced his retirement from the game. He had just had his eyeball operated upon, with no idea if he would ever see out of his left eye again. A clearly moved South African team huddled around their captain, who read out Boucher’s statement to the world from Taunton’s cricket ground. Instead of going out in a blaze of glory, South Africa’s loyal servant would return home on “a road of uncertain recovery”. Instead of scampering around for an extra single or putting his body on the line behind the stumps, it was all he could do to muster the energy to get up from his bed and hop into a wheelchair as his teammates came over to see him in hospital.
“I’ll be watching you guys play,” he chirped in his unmistakeable demeanour, ‘one eye or another!’ He laughed, but no one else joined in. South Africa’s team manager, Mohammad Mosajee, later said that “a few tears were shed.” No one would doubt that for a moment.
No one will argue that he wasn’t quite the best batsman of all wicket-keepers (Kumar Sangakarra and Adam Gilchrist were indeed far superior in that department), but neither will anyone debate that he was the most consistent, or indeed that his wicket-keeping prowess surpassed that of any gloveman that cricket has seen. Awareness, anticipation and ability were qualities few ‘keepers could hope to combine, but Boucher did it for 15 years with consummate ease. As a wicket-keeper, you hardly ever noticed him, which is the greatest tribute you can pay to a ‘keeper. (Anyone ambiguous about that claim should cast their mind to Kamran Akmal.) His was the sort of contribution South Africa will fully appreciate now that he’s no longer there to make it.
Never one to crib and complain, he took his exclusion from the squad of the 2011 World Cup and subsequent ODI’s with quiet stoicism, although it couldn’t have been more evident than in their quarterfinal implosion against New Zealand that the man to steady the ship was helplessly looking on from South Africa. The man who had pioneered so many famous South African run chases, the man who knew how to calm the tail down and get the best out of them, never more famously than in that ODI against Australia, where he hit the winning runs as South Africa hunted down 434. Without their terrier, South Africa would have served up their special: gallant performances and heartbreak, as they did against the Kiwis in last year’s World Cup. As Nasser Hussain so aptly said:
“You always knew that if you had South Africa 150 for five, you still had to get past Boucher.”
It would be unfair to infer that Boucher was an unlikeable, haughty character; the heartfelt tributes and well-wishes flowing in for him, including many from fellow players, suggest otherwise. He isn’t the sort of bloke to let that go unnoticed either, and he warmly thanked everyone, claiming that the world’s support for him had “brought me to my knees.” He implored his team to focus on their job in England, assuring them that he would pull through.
He retires in circumstances unbecoming of the kind of cricketer, and more importantly, the type of character he was. South Africa’s realities changed in Surrey on Monday, with cricket suddenly put into perspective. Kallis, Boucher’s best mate, said that South Africa would now play for him. It is an inescapable fact, however, that they will also play without him, and he is someone whose calmness and ability they will sorely miss. Someone you would want to go to war with, but never against.
Whether Boucher recovers fully is exceedingly dubious, with the initial prognosis reportedly quite foreboding. It is realistic to say he may be left blinded in his left eye, which would incapacitate one of the most eagle-eyed sportsmen of his day. But instead of myopically remembering his career ending accident, Boucher’s admirable legacy demands we bear in mind his innumerable contributions to the game. And if you could bet on anyone pulling through such an ordeal, you would do well to put your money on Mark.
Boucher’s retina intact: doctors
The freak accident involving former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher left his eye less severely injured than initially thought, doctors said after he underwent a second operation on Thursday. “The important parts of the retina were intact, confirming previous findings,” the medical team of a Cape Town clinic said in a statement. “The blood which accumulated due to the trauma was removed. There were no complications, no bleeding, and nothing else unexpected.” The 35-year-old’s left eyeball was torn by a dislodged bail off an Imran Tahir delivery during a warm-up match prior to a three-Test series in England last Monday. Doctors had feared he would be left totally blind in the damaged eye, but the prognosis has improved over time.
