Sports fans have notoriously short memories. 'You're only as good as your last game,' the saying goes, and when one considers the harsh criticism coming Mark Boucher's way at the moment it certainly isn't far wrong.

Few seem to remember that less than a year ago Boucher was jointly awarded the Man of the Series gong following the pulsating series against England. Why? For his consistent and crucial contributions with the bat.

Over the past two years Boucher has averaged 32.90 with the bat, in the past 12 months 32.41. Over a career in which the wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 5257 runs at an average of 30.74, that's hardly a poor return.

Admittedly Boucher has endured a lean spell since the England series, notching up just one 50 in the 10 Test innings that have followed, with critics focusing as much on his stuttering return as at his age of 34 (old by some standards).

If AB de Villiers had any intention of taking over the gloves in the Test arena, which by all accounts he doesn't, Boucher's situation may be a touch more precarious, but without a worthy successor why would one throw such an experienced and talented player by the wayside prematurely?

The names of Morne van Wyk, Heino Kuhn, Thami Tsolekile and Daryn Smit have been bandied about but under the microscope perhaps only Kuhn's bid holds much weight.

Van Wyk has enjoyed a tremendous revival of late, with runs coming by the bucket-full in all domestic formats. Solid behind the stumps, the man from the Free State also possesses a keen cricketing brain and is a cunning captain. But at 31 years of age he's probably on the wrong end of the age curve, which is a shame in a sense. He has given the local game so much a Test cap wouldn't be amiss.

Another enjoying a renaissance is Tsolekile. Having fallen so far down the pecking order in the Western Cape that he had to head north to the Lions franchise, to think that Tsolekile has now earned himself a spot in the Proteas' extended World Cup squad is amazing. But having been handed the opportunity in three Tests in 2004 when Boucher was dropped and failed to impress, does the reborn Tsolekile deserve another go?

With the greatest respect to Smit, he is a handy lower-order batsman (indeed, Tsolekile is the only one of the contenders who isn't on the current top 20 list in the local four-day competition), but he isn't a Test batsman. The man from Durban attracted some interest from former coach Mickey Arthur in the past - for his spin bowling, not his wicketkeeping.

Unlike van Wyk and Tsolekile, at 26, Kuhn has age on his side. The Titans 'keeper has donned the Proteas colours at Twenty20 level and has performed well for the South Africa A outfit. After what he would consider a below par 2009-10 season, Kuhn has begun the current season strongly.

Kuhn may be the man for the future but it's hard to see him being thrown into the gauntlet for the time being. If Boucher does get the chop - and that won't be for some time either with a plethora of ODIs on the horizon - it will be van Wyk or Tsolekile who get the nod as a stopgap.

But only a fool would write off Mark Boucher just yet.