Cricket South Africa drops disciplinary charges against Mark Boucher

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decided to drop all disciplinary charges against head coach Mark Bouncer. The former South African cricketer was under the scanner for showcasing racial behavior within the team. However, it was only last week that former teammate of Boucher, Paul Adams, refused to testify at the hearing.

The press statement released states, "CSA has concluded that there is no basis to sustain any of the disciplinary charges, including charges of racism, [against Boucher]. Therefore, the board of CSA has formally and unreservedly withdrawn all of the charges."

Earlier, it was Adams who, in the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings, said that Boucher used to call him "brown shit" along with other teammates. 

During the SJN process, Mr. Boucher formally apologised to Mr. Adams. After the SJN process, Mr. Adams indicated to CSA's lawyers that he accepts this apology. Mr. Nkwe also decided that he did not wish to testify against Mr. Boucher during the disciplinary hearing.

In doing so, Mr. Nkwe stated publicly that he did not intend to take sides regarding Mr. Boucher and that 'whatever happens in that process, I hope the outcome will be the one that's best for the game'. 

CSA Chairman Lawson Naidoo thanked all the involved parties for showing their support for the process and displaying transparency about the investigations. Naidoo said, "CSA has at all times been committed to dealing with the SJN issues in a manner that treats them with utmost seriousness but also ensures fairness, due process, and finality. The decision to withdraw the charges brings about finality on these issues for CSA and Mark and allows the focus to return to the cricket field – where we trust that Mark and the Proteas will go from strength to strength."

With Boucher given a clean chit, his role as South Africa coach is safe for the time being. Boucher also expressed his willingness to stay on, saying, "I look forward to continuing to focus on my job and to taking the Proteas men's team to even greater heights."