Playing with freedom can have consequences for guys fighting for their careers, highlights Mark Boucher

Mark Boucher's reign in Test cricket as the head coach of South Africa ended in disappointing fashion as his team lost the last two Tests against England having won the opener emphatically. The third Test was played under extraordinary circumstances and saw the second day being suspended owing to Queen Elizabeth's death after the first day had already been washed out. Nevertheless, it took England just a little over six sessions to wrap up a comfortable nine wickets victory in a low scoring game.

"The heads in the game need to get together and find a way to play more test cricket. It’s exciting, especially with the way the games are being played now. It’s very seldom that you have draws. The game’s moved forward, maybe because of T20 cricket. Guys are playing shots they would never usually play. It’s attacking and it’s a nice game to watch. So the more we see it, the better it will be for everyone," he added.

"It’s one thing to say to guys to go out there and play with freedom, but there are consequences when they are fighting for their test spots and fighting for their careers. It’s a fine line as a coach because a guy comes in and you don’t want to change him. This is not an academy of learning. This is Test cricket," he pointed out.

"We give the players freedom to play, to express themselves. Each and every guy. The way that England would like to go out and play, you need to have the characters to do that. A lot of their guys are good white-ball cricketers as well," Boucher concluded..