Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola on Thursday congratulated Mark Boucher on reclaiming his world record as the most successful Test wicketkeeper of all time.
Boucher broke Ian Healy’s world record for the highest number of Test match dismissals during the Proteas tour of Pakistan last year, and in the same series went on to become the first wicketkeeper to complete the unique double of 4 000 Test runs and 400 Test dismissals.
He extended his record of dismissals to 413 before being briefly overtaken by Australia’s Adam Gilchrist during that country’s final Test match against India at the Adelaide Oval last month.
Gilchrist set the mark at 416 and has since retired from Test cricket.
Boucher contributed five dismissals to the Proteas’ victory in the first Test against Bangladesh, which finished in Dhaka on Monday, and has thus set a new mark of 418 (399 catches and 19 stumpings).
One more catch will make him the first to 400 catches in the history of Test cricket. He also needs two dismissals to complete 600 at first-class level.
”Mark has truly become an icon of the game,” commented Majola. ”He has set a standard of professionalism and dedication that should inspire our stars of tomorrow. At the age of 31, he still has many of his best years ahead of him and he can leave behind a landmark that will be very difficult to beat.
”Now that Gilchrist has retired, there are no obvious challengers to him in the foreseeable future.” — Sapa