Mark Boucher concerns about diminishing amount of test cricket

• Mark Boucher concerns about diminishing amount of test cricket.
• He said that results demonstrate the structure has changed to reflect the current game.
• Boucher said that he would leave his position as coach after the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Mark Boucher, the outgoing South Africa coach, acknowledges his concern about the declining number of test matches and says recent results demonstrate the structure has changed to reflect the current game, which values entertainment above grit.

Boucher said on Monday that he would leave his position as coach after the T20 World Cup in Australia, which begins next month, only hours after his team had been defeated 2-1 by England in their test series.

According to Cricket South Africa CEO Pholetsi Moseki, South Africa will play fewer tests in the upcoming four-year cycle—just 28—to make room on the schedule for their new domestic T20 league.

It is a small amount of matches compared to England’s 43 tests during that time, Australia’s 40, and India’s 38, and it won’t help develop players for the five-day format.

Boucher told reporters, “To lose sight of test cricket and lose games is not great,”

 “I’m a purist. I love test cricket to bits. It’s the purest form of the game and one that we really need to look after.

“The heads in the game need to get together and find a way to play more test cricket. It’s exciting, especially with the way the games are being played now. It’s very seldom that you have draws.

“The game’s moved forward, maybe because of T20 cricket. Guys are playing shots they would never usually play. It’s attacking and it’s a nice game to watch. So the more we see it, the better it will be for everyone.”

Although Boucher believes that England’s aggressive “Bazball” style may be the future of test cricket, it won’t be effective against all opposition and under all circumstances.

Boucher said, “It’s one thing to say to guys to go out there and play with freedom but there are consequences when they are fighting for their test spots and fighting for their careers,”

“It’s a fine line as a coach because a guy comes in and you don’t want to change him. This is not an academy of learning. This is test cricket.

“We give the players the freedom to play, to express themselves. Each and every guy. The way that England would like to go out and play, you need to have the characters to do that.

“A lot of their guys are good white-ball cricketers as well.”

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