Wisden overview
"Guinness", so-called by his team-mates because of the string of recordsbehind his name, is as close as the South African team comes to harbouring an Australian. Fiercely competitive with a swagger to match, Mark Boucher is the type of character cricketers love to play with and hate playing against. "You have to walk onto the field as if you own the place," is his unabashed motto, and he spells it out with every step. Wicketkeeping purists shudder at the way he takes the ball to his side with his eyes closed and his head frequently in the air, but the fact is he makes precious few mistakes. Boucher's once-scintillating batting experienced its first real slump on the 2000-01 tour of West Indies, but the hope is that he will bat at No. 5 or 6 in the years to come, thus making room for another allrounder or specialist bowler. Like all short men, his low centre of gravity makes him a pugnacious hooker and cutter. He is well-respected for convincing Herschelle Gibbs to come clean to the King Commission about his acceptance of an offer of a bribe from Hansie Cronje. Neil Manthorp

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