Blog: Who will succeed Boucher?
With Mark Boucher having hinted at his retirement, now is as good a time as ever to have a look at his probable successors.
Over the last few seasons, Morne van Wyk, Daryn Smit, Thami Tsolekile and Heino Kuhn have all been regular choices for their provinces.
Van Wyk has been most consistent -- appearing in the top-20 batsmen in all three formats for two seasons running. One thing that may count against him as a long-term solution, however, is his age -- he turns 33 soon. Another point to consider will be the fact that he has not had to keep to a top-class spinner for a while.
Daryn Smit has had better fortunes in this regard, having had to face up to Imran Tahir for a few years now. His batting form, however, is not as consistent as Van Wyk’s and that might be why the Dolphins have recently moved him up the order to give him more opportunity out in the middle. Some would argue that he also offers a nice-to-have spin option, but we are not convinced that this will play much part of his armoury at international level.
Thami Tsolekile has never really fulfilled the promise he’s shown as a youngster. After moving to Gauteng in 2009, he did well with the bat, but could not maintain that standard the following season. This year, however, he is second in the SuperSport Series batting averages, even though, in the last four matches, he’s only notched up one half-century. Thami also finds himself on the wrong side of 30, though. Combined with the fact that he, too, does not team up with a quality spinner to help hone those keeping skills, it could count against him.
Twenty-seven-year-old Heino Kuhn has been knocking on the Proteas’ door for a while, but has not set the domestic scene alight in the last two seasons with his batting, and we suspect that he might have to do a bit more in this regard to find his way back into the fold.
Another option may very well be Dane Vilas. He has burst comparatively late on the scene, but boasts a very healthy first-class average. Even so, he would probably like to be more consistent.
Finally, we cannot ignore Quinton de Kock, current SA U19 captain. His name has been in the headlines of late during their tri-series with Zimbabwe and Pakistan, where he finished with three centuries in nine matches. However, he still has to prove himself against the big boys of the first-class circuit, but we are reminded of Boucher, who took over the gloves from Dave Richardson as a 19-year-old in 1997.
What do they say? If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Who would you prefer? Do you like a long-term solution, or a two- to three-year option? Leave your comments below.