“Mark has not issued any papers, legal or otherwise.” – Donne Commins, Mark Boucher’s manager, on claims he had served legal papers on Paul Adams.
Telford Vice | Cape Town
MARK Boucher says he will “co-operate fully” with CSA’s Social Justice and Nation-building (SJN) project, where his name has been mentioned in connection with some of the most explosive testimony heard.
Last Thursday, Paul Adams told the SJN his teammates had, in a song sung in dressingroom fines meetings during his international career, called him “brown shit”. Asked by Fumisa Ngqele, one of the SJN’s advocates, whether he had raised the issue with Boucher, Adams said: “I never addressed it with him. Mark was just one of the guys [who used the term] … it only came back to me afterwards. I was caught up in the fun of being in the team and not [wanting] to ruffle any feathers. When I thought about it — and my wife kept telling me, ‘Why do they call you that?’ — then I realised it wasn’t right.”
Like Adams said, Boucher wasn’t alone in the alleged perpetration of that wrong. But Boucher now coaches South Africa’s men’s team, which only adds to the importance of establishing the truth of the matter.
So there should be reassurance that, in a statement on Friday, Boucher wrote: “I have been asked by the SJN to submit a written reply to the various allegations made during the hearings that have taken place. My intentions are to co-operate fully with all requests made by the ombudsman [Dumisa Ntsebeza], so that the objectives of the SJN can be achieved.”
That sounds like progress, but it is unlikely to satisfy Boucher’s detractors — who have been calling for his head since his appointment in December 2019. The fact that he doesn’t currently hold a level three coaching certificate, a requirement for the position, was the first alarm they raised. Then, when South Africa won only two of their first 11 rubbers across the formats under Boucher, the noise grew louder. Test and T20I series victories in West Indies and a 3-0 T20I whitewash of Ireland in the past seven weeks eased the pressure. But the claims made at the SJN have piled it higher than ever.
The fresh wave of criticism seems to be taking its toll on Boucher. “The allegations in the media currently are hurtful, factually incorrect and do not serve the greater good of our country or the intentions of the SJN in mending past hurts and building relations,” he wrote.
It was reported on Thursday that Boucher had served legal papers on Adams. Boucher’s longtime manager, Donne Commins, denied that in a tweet on Friday. “This is absolutely, factually incorrect. Mark called Paul within minutes of hearing the allegations. Paul did not answer and hasn’t responded to Mark since. Mark has not issued any papers, legal or otherwise. Mark will be replying in an affidavit as requested by the SJN.”
Asked by Cricbuzz whether Commins’ assertion about the serving of legal papers was accurate, Adams did not reply.
First published by Cricbuzz.
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