The disciplinary hearing against Proteas head coach Mark Boucher has been postponed until May, the chairperson of the hearing announced on Tuesday.
Boucher faces charges of racism, laid by Cricket South Africa (CSA), which could result in his dismissal.
Advocate Terry Motau said in a statement that he had decided to hold the hearing from 16-20 May after considering arguments submitted by Boucher’s legal team, who intend to call current South African players to testify in his defence.
Motau said CSA had wanted the hearings to be held between 7-11 March – after a South African tour of New Zealand but before an incoming tour by Bangladesh, which is due to start on 18 March.
“On behalf of Mr Boucher, it was indicated that he intends to call some of the players to testify on his behalf,” said Motau, who accepted the argument that holding the hearings between the two tours could be disruptive.
The allegations against Boucher, announced last month, followed hearings last year into discrimination in cricket.
Boucher was accused by former team-mate Paul Adams of leading a song which had a racially derogatory wording in fines meetings after matches while they were playing.
CSA announced that the inquiry would also consider concerns and allegations that arose following the resignation of former assistant coach, Enoch Nkwe.
It is also alleged that Boucher failed to deal effectively with a controversy over “taking the knee” in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Following the announcement of the charges against Boucher, The South African website reported that the former Test wicketkeeper will be backed financially by a group of rich South African businessmen, who were reportedly “outraged” by the charges levelled against the coach.
Mark Boucher, 45, played 147 Tests, 295 ODIs and 25 T20Is for South Africa.
In the Test arena he scored 5 515 runs at an average of 30.3 with a highest score of 125. He also took 532 catches and made 23 stumpings.
In ODI cricket he scored 4 686 runs at an average of 28.57 with a highest knock of 147*. He also took 403 catches and made 22 stumpings.
In the T20 format he scored 268 runs at an average of 17.86 with a highest score of 36*. He also took 18 catches and made one stumping.
In total Boucher scored 10 468 runs in all three formats for the Proteas. He took 953 catches and made 46 stumpings during his illustrious career behind the stumps.
Some of the accusations CSA levelled at Mark Boucher:
- Historically repeatedly used racist and/or offensive and/or inappropriate nicknames regarding a Proteas team-mate.
- Having had your racist and/or offensive and/or inappropriate utterances drawn to your attention, you failed to adequately and/or sufficiently and/or appropriately apologise for these utterances and/or acknowledge the racist nature of these utterances and/or hurt that they caused.
- You have conducted yourself in a racist or subliminally racist manner; and/or
- You have conducted yourself in a manner which is unbecoming of an employee in your position
- Your conduct has brought CSA into disrepute.