Winning WTC final would open new doors for South Africa: Mark Boucher

Former South African cricketer Mark Boucher acknowledged that reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final is a testament to the team's ability, and added that winning it could mark the beginning of a new era for the South African cricket fraternity.

Boucher admitted that the Proteas had faced criticism along the way but emphasized the importance of focusing on the challenges in front of them. He stated that they had played the teams that were scheduled and had beaten them, and that was what mattered. He expressed excitement about the opportunity to compete in the final and noted the enthusiasm among fans, with many coming to the venue to witness the match.

"A lot of people have criticised South Africa, which is not really fair. You play what's in front of you and with all due respect, the sides that we've played against, we probably should have beaten, and we've done that. So we find ourselves in a final. But I wouldn't say that it has got the crowds going in our country,” Boucher said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"Everyone's very excited about it now as the opportunity arises, a lot of people are going to travel over to London, spend all their Rands and go watch what should be a good match. If we win it, I think then that could be the turnaround for Test cricket in our country," he added.

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Boucher responded to former player Michael Vaughan’s remarks that South Africa had an easy path to the WTC final by not playing against England and Australia, while clarifying that the schedule was determined by the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The former wicketkeeper-batter also pointed out that while the Proteas had faced heartbreak in recent knockout matches, including several semi-final exits and three consecutive T20 World Cup final losses (two in the women’s and one in the men’s), the red-ball format provides a different challenge.

"We're playing for a trophy, so I guess a lot of people are saying no [we can't win], but I think it's a different feel in Test match cricket. It's played over a longer period of time, and you've just got to win big moments in the game as well. Yes, there will be that tag [chokers] that gets thrown our way until we win a trophy,” the former wicketkeeper-batter said.

“You're not going to get rid of the tag. Is it deserving on these youngsters coming through? No, it's almost like they're carrying the burden of what happened in previous years, which is always going to be tough on them, but they're the ones in control of their futures at the moment," he added.