'The rumours were a lot of hogwash' - Boucher

We caught up with Mark Boucher at Centurion, where the Warriors are playing the Titans. He had just been recalled to South Africa's squad for the fourth and fifth Tests:

When you first heard that you had been left out of the SA team what were your feelings? I was very disappointed, very confused, [and] not really sure why I had been left out of the tour to India. I had just made a half-century in the final Test against Sri Lanka. There were rumours that it was due to discipline reasons. There were also rumours that I was out of form. I decided to fly up to Johannesburg for a meeting with Gerald Majola [the chief executive of SA's Board] to discuss my issues and the reasons why I had been left out of the team. The meeting took about 10 to 15 minutes and I left having been told that everything had been sorted out, and that if my performances on the field were good then I would be up for selection again. After that certain rumours, statements and stories floated about that I was still being left out because of disciplinary reasons. From where they came I don't really know, but at the end of the day I decided to rather keep quiet and not put additional pressure on myself but perform on the field as well as I could. As far as I was concerned, the rumours that were going around, like the one about my dress code, were a lot of hogwash.

Do you feel then that the so-called lack of form was a cover-up for some other reasons? I don't really know. I did suffer a slump in form during the New Zealand series, but after working on a few technical changes to my batting I thought that I did not have a bad series and was in good form against Sri Lanka, scoring that half-century in the second innings of the last Test. I also worked on my keeping and thought that under the circumstances and the conditions in Sri Lanka that I kept very well. Having been told by a few people that I had kept well in Sri Lanka I would have thought that I would have been left out of the team after the New Zealand series [in March], and not after the Sri Lanka trip.

Since you were left out what have you worked on? A lot on my batting. I knew that I had to make more changes to my batting technique, and have worked hard during this time to put them right. I have also worked on my keeping, trying to keep it as keen as possible. Playing for Warriors has also kept me sharp - I have been determined to make an impact. It was also nice to have a bit of a break. There is so much international cricket being played nowadays, you play day in and day out, and it is difficult to get yourself up to 120% every time you put the South African cap on your head. So the break has been good for me - and it was the first Christmas for many years that I could spend with my family. So even though it was not nice being left out of the side, it did have its advantages. I am very grateful for being given another look-in, not that I am in the team as yet, but I do once again have a foot in the door.

In the 1999-2000 season, Nic Pothas was said to be putting pressure on your position, and then you went and scored that hundred against Zimbabwe. Was this situation much the same?
That was a different sort of pressure. When you are in the team and hold the spot, then you are aware of who is challenging you for a place in the team. You try and let the stories go in the one ear and out the other, but you are aware that you have to perform. The Test in Harare was also different as I went in as a nightwatchman. It is all about opportunity. It is not often that I got the chance to bat up the order, and I went out and batted like a top-order batsman, showing people that I can play long innings as well. At times when you bat at No. 9 you tend to bat like a No. 9, and maybe do not value your wicket as much as you should. Now I have been given another opportunity.

If you do play at the Wanderers will there be added pressure on you?
Yes, obviously there will. I think AB [de Villiers] has kept well, and if I do play and keep there will be pressure, but I will not shy away from it. I am just happy that I am back in the side, and will go out there and give 120% as well as trying to enjoy it. It is a special occasion to go out there for your country, and you should enjoy it. I am lucky that I have played under pressure before, so will draw on that.

Your goals for the future - 100 Tests perhaps?
Yes, that would be nice, but I have a few personal goals that I would like to keep to myself. But if I can help South Africa to the top and play a part in that then one of my long-term goals would be fulfilled.

What was it like watching the Tests on TV?
I have chewed up a few remotes and bashed a few beach-balls around, but it got to stages where I could just not watch any more. It was frustrating because you could see we were not playing as well as we could have. There was nothing I could do about it - I could not go out and score some runs or keep well or help in any way. So I took my frustration out on the beach and played some touch rugby.

Keith Lane works for Cricinfo in South Africa.