Boucher says he will respond to Adams’s claims

Proteas coach Mark Boucher says he will respond to the allegations of racism and discrimination against him and other former national team players by spinner Paul Adams.

Adams‚ who at stages during his eight-year international career was the only black player, or in the minority, in the Proteas set-up‚ appeared before Cricket SA’s social justice and nation building (SJN) transformation public hearings last week.

He testified under oath at the hearings to investigate racial discrimination within cricket that Boucher and other white national teammates called him a “brown sh*t”.

Asked if he is expecting a backlash when he returns home from Ireland where the Proteas completed a 3-0 T20 series whitewash over their hosts in Belfast on Saturday‚ Boucher said he did not want to give a knee-jerk reaction.

“I fully understand the sensitivity around this‚ and I am not going to give a knee-jerk response‚” he said. “As I said in my statement‚ I will go back home and assess information that is on the table and available to me and I will reply respectfully and appropriately to all the allegations and at the right time as well.

“I need to get home and look at what’s been said‚ and then I will come through with a response.”

With regard to cricket issues‚ Boucher said he was happy that captain and man of the match Temba Bavuma finally returned to form with an impressive knock of 72 off 51 to make up for his recent struggles with the bat.

In the first T20 Bavuma managed only 13 runs and was dismissed for a duck in the second match‚ leaving him under pressure. “He has been putting in the hard work behind closed doors‚” said Boucher. “He is a tough little character as well; he takes it personally if he doesn’t lead from the front with the bat.

“He is a type of guy who likes to run with a bit of form. But getting runs‚ I think it’s the perfect time because we go to Sri Lanka after this and he will definitely take that confidence into the tour.

“As I said, he has been working very hard and it was just a matter of time before he got runs‚ and I am happy for him. It put us in a nice situation in the camp because he is doing well with the bat and he can lead with confidence now.”