Boucher set to be named Proteas interim coach

JOHANNESBURG: Former South Africa wicket-keeper and current Titans coach Mark Boucher will be unveiled as interim coach by acting director of cricket Graeme Smith on Saturday (today).

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that interim team director Enoch Nkwe will stay on and work with Boucher; a source said the pair is “keen to work together”.

The Boucher news comes two days after Smith was named director of cricket for three months. A key part of Smith’s job was to appoint coaching staff for the men’s national team as it prepares to take on England at the turn of the year. There was doubt over whether Nkwe, who was appointed in August, would stay on under Smith, but that question seems to be cleared up for now. It is also likely that former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis will be named batting coach in the near future.

The involvement of former South Africa internationals will extend to the A side, where Ashwell Prince has accepted a role. Prince is also understood to be on a selection panel that will include Boucher, captain Faf du Plessis and former convenor of selectors Linda Zondi, who has been approached to work as an independent selector.

This means CSA will not appoint a full-time convener just yet, as they had planned to do in the aftermath of the 2019 World Cup, when the tenure of Zondi and his panel came to an end. It is not yet known when the new panel will announce the squad to face England in a series that starts in under two weeks.

Boucher was appointed Titans coach in August 2016 and is in his fourth season.In that time, the franchise has won one first-class trophy, two one-day cups and two T20 tournaments. They have also had Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen and Tabraiz Shamsi go on to gain international caps in that time.