Ex-South Africa cricket president Ray Mali asks Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher to step down

Former Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Ray Mali has asked Graeme Smith, the director of cricket, and Mark Boucher, the Proteas' head coach, to resign from their positions for the sake of peace.

Since the outset of the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings, Smith and Boucher have been under scrutiny.  Boucher's role as head coach had been called into question when former player Paul Adams testified about Boucher's apparent role in racist chanting. Boucher was one of several players accused of referring to Adams as "brown sh*t" during their playing career.

Several former administrators had also previously called for Smith and Boucher's selections to be reconsidered before the SJN hearings. Mali claims that since the CSA board that recruited Smith and Boucher was dubious, their own nominations should be questioned as well.

“In order for there to be peace, it is required for those two men in Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher to vacate their positions. There is little clarity in how they were appointed to their positions. Even though I’m a bit far from the action, it becomes clear that how they were appointed is questionable.

The damage has been done, and it won’t help one bit if they remain in their positions. They need to be negotiated with and step back for a new beginning. They shouldn’t be dismissed callously, but our cricket won’t come right while they’re still in charge. The board that appointed them turned out to have major issues, and that should follow into their appointment,” said Ray Mali as quoted by Sports24.

Mali also stated that he did not find Boucher to be the most pleasant person to deal with. He stated that while he did not consider Boucher to be the most hospitable person during his time as CSA president, he did not meddle in player matters.

“Mark wasn’t the most respectful person. I never had anything against him, nor did I meddle in playing affairs when I was president, but I do remember him as an individual who wasn’t very approachable. When I was told that Makhaya wasn’t catching the team bus, I was told it was for exercise purposes. I don’t even remember [Gerald] Majola coming to tell me that they have this problem with Makhaya. It was the first time I heard of it, along with the issues of Tsotsobe,” added Mali.

How did South Africa captain Temba Bavuma react to this fiasco?

South Africa is about to travel on a tour to Sri Lanka, with the darkness of the SJN allegations hovering over them. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has stated that in the spirit of openness, talks have taken place between Boucher and the players to keep them in confidence.

“We would be lying if we said this didn’t have an impact on us. It’s publicly known that members of the team have been named in the SJN testimonies. Mark has addressed us as a team, speaking up specifically on the accusations against him. He provided clarity and context. It was really about keeping the guys in his confidence and providing a form of comfort,” said Temba Bavuma.

Image credits: AP