Kanpur: Despite being dropped for the ongoing tour, wicketkeeper Mark Boucher remains in the selectors? minds. He has, by the way, captained South Africa in four Tests and one ODI as well.

?Boucher?s working hard, back home, and I don?t see why he shouldn?t make a comeback... We haven?t forgotten him,? emphasised chief selector Omar Henry in a chat with The Telegraph.

Henry?s colleagues are (stop-gap) coach Ray Jennings, Joubert Strydom and Enver Mall.

Speaking on Sunday afternoon, South Africa?s first Black Test cricketer and his country?s oldest debutant, added: ?We pick on form and, in the lead-up to this trip, we felt Boucher?s wasn?t good...?

In Henry?s opinion, Boucher can ?fight? his way back when the next series, versus England, gets underway at home in December.

Incidentally, it?s Henry himself who gave the crushing news to Boucher. ?He took it well... How did I feel after calling him? Well, part of my job is to give bad news...?

While Henry didn?t elaborate, sources revealed Boucher has actually got a ?wake-up call? as he was content being in the ?comfort zone.?

?He hadn?t been keeping well nor was he working hard... His batting too wasn?t quite the same and, so, the selectors decided to make him realise nothing must be taken for granted,? explained one source.

Boucher, who turns 28 next month, has 283 victims in 76 Tests, besides 264 in 178 ODIs. His runs? tally reads: 2,793 in Tests (four hundreds and 17 fifties) and 2,634 in ODIs (16 fifties).

Significantly, Henry maintained he and his colleagues didn?t have to implement an unstated quota policy. ?There?s no quota system... Take it from me, everybody is selected on merit only...?

Just to reinforce that, he added: ?For example, Boucher?s replacement, Thami Tsolekile, is in India because he deserves to be here... I hope that sets the record straight.?

A one-time left-arm spinner, Henry is in his third year as chief selector.