South Africa Head Coach, Mark Boucher, is confident of a positive result ahead of the limited-overs series against Pakistan. Boucher said that they are only focusing on their strengths, and playing in their home conditions will be a huge benefit for them.
Boucher praised the Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, and the wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Rizwan, for their brilliant performances in the previous series but assured that; the South African team is unfazed by a strong Pakistan team. Boucher said that they identified weaknesses in the Pakistan team, and they will look to exploit them.
Mark Boucher Statement:
“Pakistan has got some very dangerous characters. Babar Azam’s record speaks for itself. Rizwan had a very good series against us. But, we are in our conditions now, so we are not too worried about them. We have set our plans to counteract their strengths and also attack their weaknesses as well,” Boucher said.
Boucher said that despite a majority of their star players leaving for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the middle of the series, they are confident of a good showing. However, he believes that it is not an ideal scenario for South Africa. He said that this would affect their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
South Africa’s star players such as Kagiso Rabada, Quinton De Kock, Lungi Ngidi, David Miller, and Anrich Nortje will only be available for the first two ODIs before traveling to India to take part in the IPL.
“I did not make the decision to let the players go to the IPL. That is a question people above me in authority can answer. There has been a long-standing agreement between BCCI and CSA about the IPL,” Boucher said.
Boucher believes that this whole scenario can prove beneficial for the South African team as well, as their players will experience the Indian conditions and will be able to get first-hand information about different venues in the country.
I am a freelance writer studying Mass Communication at the University of Karachi in the faculty of Media sciences. Also certified from Hubspot Academy as a Content Marketer.