The end for Boucher?

I know it's a delicate topic with some saffers for whom he's a perennial favourite but I wonder if it's the time for them to bite the bullet and look at installing someone else as keeper for the next test series which I don't think is for quite some time.

AB has said he doesn't want the gloves because he wants to become the world's best batsman so they need to look elsewhere.

Boucher probably wants to go on but beating England in England and Australia in Australia was as good as it gets even though he'll be disappointed at their performances in this series.

While his keeping is at least passable, it has slipped a bit in the past couple of years and his batting despite the odd cameo or rearguard action seems to have become very unreliable.

It seems no coincidence to me that Australia has improved since Lee, Symonds and more recently Hayden, have departed. Sometimes the team needs to be freshened and a new era has to be ushered in. SA has got the most out of Boucher and should be looking at replacing he and McKenzie.

We had to make a similar decision regarding Healy and did it much to his chagrin without granting him a farewell test in front of his adoring Gabba fans.

Thoughts?

Absolute dribble.

So very over-rated as a keeper it isn't funny. Decent gritty batsman though.

Nice eyes.

Neil Mckenzie should be banned from playing test cricket. He's really up there with Jeetan Patel in the "in Eric Air Emu's bad books" stakes.

skully wrote:Absolute dribble.

Or even drivel.

Tell me something I've said about Boucher here which is radically off the mark!

Eric Air Emu wrote:Neil Mckenzie should be banned from playing test cricket. He's really up there with Jeetan Patel in the "in Eric Air Emu's bad books" stakes.

He's taken some mighty good catches though.

Demelza wrote:

Eric Air Emu wrote:Neil Mckenzie should be banned from playing test cricket. He's really up there with Jeetan Patel in the "in Eric Air Emu's bad books" stakes.

He's taken some mighty good catches though.

And dropped some might good sitters as well.

Maybe McKenzie's in so the other players (bar Sooky) can perv at his wife.

Red wrote:

skully wrote:Absolute dribble.

Or even drivel.

Tell me something I've said about Boucher here which is radically off the mark!

Dribble and drivel are interchangeable? Aren't they?

Paul Keating wrote:

Red wrote:

skully wrote:Absolute dribble.

Or even drivel.

Tell me something I've said about Boucher here which is radically off the mark!

Dribble and drivel are interchangeable? Aren't they?

In grammatical terms only for the ignorant.

Thing is, AB is the only alternative, isn't he?

Demelza wrote:Thing is, AB is the only alternative, isn't he?

He'd be a very aesthetically pleasing alternative and he did well in the ODIs when he stood in place of him but he's on record as saying he wants to focus on his batting. ATM it certainly does need his focus.

Boucher is a better keeper than the current Aust keeper.

I believe they're looking at Daryn Smit, but apparently he can't bat. He bowls decent leg-spin so would AB have to keep when Smit comes onto bowl?

Bit of a mess!

JGK wrote:Boucher is a better keeper than the current Aust keeper.

If Matt Prior and Parthiv Patel had a love child it would be better than the current Aust keeper. It would also be ugly.