Faf du Plessis says poor relation with South Africa coach Mark Boucher pushed him towards Test retirement – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis made sensational claims against Mark Boucher on Monday, naming the outgoing Proteas head coach as one of the reasons behind his decision to retire from the Test format towards the end of his playing days.

In an excerpt from his upcoming autobiography Faf: Through Fire, du Plessis made mention of a controversy over dropping Temba Bavuma during the Test series against England at home in the 2019-20 season, Boucher’s first assignment after being appointed into the role. Du Plessis defended the decision to drop Bavuma saying he “didn’t see colour”, after being quizzed over axing the only black African batter in the side.

According to du Plessis, neither Boucher nor Cricket South Africa (CSA) Director of Cricket Graeme Smith voiced their support for du Plessis during the saga.

“I needed someone to back me up in the media, and Graeme and Mark were best positioned to clear the air and show public support for their national captain who was dealing with head — and tailwinds simultaneously. When Mark attended a press conference while this storm was raging, he didn’t do that,” du Plessis wrote in his book.

He also made mention of an incident in the tour of Pakistan in early 2021 involving former Proteas wicketkeeper Boucher that hastened his exit from the game.

Du Plessis wanted nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj to go out and bat following Rassie van der Dussen’s dismissal 25 minutes before stumps on Day 3 of the first Test. Boucher, instead, insisted he go out and bat, ignoring the former all-format captain’s claim that nightwatchmen were sent out 30 minutes or seven overs before close of play, resulting in du Plessis’ dismissal five minutes before stumps.

“I was furious when I left the field. We had just lost a main batter because of an avoidable tactical error. I said to myself that I was too emotional to address this with Mark immediately and that I should go to bed, sleep on it, and discuss it with him the following morning,” wrote du Plessis.

And when du Plessis conveyed his decision to retire from Tests to CSA Director of Cricket Smith and messaged Boucher about it, he claimed the coach never bothered responding to his text, all but confirming a complete breakdown in their relations.

“He never responded to my message, nor did he contact me after the announcement had been made… His silence confirmed to me that I had made the right decision to retire from Tests,” wrote du Plessis, who retired from the five-day format not long after the Pakistan tour.

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