South Africa head coach Mark Boucher has hailed his team after they won the Test series in the West Indies at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia on Monday (June 21), but said this victory isn’t “not a relief” as they have a long way to go and build a strong team.
South Africa thrashed West Indies in both Tests, winning both games comprehensively – first Test by an innings and 63 runs and the second Test by 158 runs to clean sweep the Test series 2-0.
Boucher credited all the hard work that was done behind the scenes for the triumph.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Boucher stated: “It's not a relief. There's been a lot of hard work that's been done behind the scenes. We were working on quite a few technical things and upskilling our players. We understood the necessity of us performing for the Proteas badge and the guys pulled through and played like a strong team.”
On the new Test skipper Dean Elgar, the head coach said: “Elgar asked a couple of questions about where we are and where we are going and where we want to be. Quite a few honest chats came out there as they do around a South African fire at night. The guys all really bought into a process that he wanted to align his reign with.”
About his team’s approach in Tests, Boucher said: “That's where we all stood back and said we are either on the bus or not on the bus. Thankfully everyone decided they were on the bus. And it doesn't only work when you are on the field. A lot of effort has to be put in behind closed doors in the way we train, the way we talk, the language, the confidence. That is probably where it started. At that fire.”
Meanwhile, the wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock found his form in the recent Test series against West Indies, scoring 237 runs in two Tests, including a century in the first Test.
Boucher said on De Kock, “Quinny were going through a tough time of late. He came into this series without as many runs as he would have liked to but the way he has been hitting the balls in the nets and the way he has been off the field has been fantastic.”
He signed off by saying, “His chat around the change room is funny and lighthearted and Quinny in that space - it is always going to reflect on the way he plays on the field. The 141 he got the other day, this outfield is very slow, that could have been a 200. The 96 he got was worth 120-130. He was the x-factor in the whole series. I am very happy that Quinny is in a good space at the moment.”
(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)
