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[Saba Sports News] Born on December 3, 1976, South African wicketkeeping legend Mark Boucher’s career began with his debut against Pakistan in October 1997. In his illustrious career, he played 147 Tests, 295 ODIs, and 25 T20Is. Boucher, now 47, set records as the first keeper to achieve 500 Test catches and ended with the most Test dismissals (555). He also holds the fourth-highest number of dismissals in ODI cricket (424).
In July 2012, Boucher had accumulated 998 international dismissals and aimed to surpass 1000 on his final tour in England. However, a freak accident in a warm-up game against Somerset, where a bail struck his eye, prematurely ended his career with 998 dismissals, a standing record.
Boucher also made significant contributions with the bat, scoring 5515 Test runs, including five centuries and 35 fifties. In ODIs, he amassed 4686 runs with a hundred and 26 fifties. He held the record for the fastest ODI hundred by a South African, reaching it in 44 balls against Zimbabwe in 2006, later surpassed by AB de Villiers in 2015.
Surpassing Ian Healy’s Test record in October 2007, Boucher’s exceptional glovework and batting prowess left a lasting impact in both South African and international cricket, cementing his status as one of the greatest wicketkeepers in cricket history.