Sport

Wiaan Mulder finds his stride as an all-rounder the Proteas need

Wiaan Mulder (G) takes the catch as Quinton de Kock (2L), Dean Elgar (3L) and Aiden Markram (R) of South Africa celebrate the dismissal of Joshua de Silva (L) of West Indies during day 4 of the 2nd Test between South Africa and West Indies at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, on June 21, 2021. (Photo: Randy Brooks / AFP)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

3 Nov 2024

It took a good few years, but the St Stithians old boy is finally showing his mettle on the pitch, adding balance to the side.

Wiaan Mulder has walked a rocky road in Test cricket, but he is starting to prove that he belongs at the highest level.

Mulder made his international debut as a 19-year-old against Bangladesh back in 2017 in white ball cricket, and it’s against the same opposition that he is solidifying his international quality in 2024.

The all-rounder broke out as a high school prodigy. In his matric year, he would trod into Wanderers Stadium with his St Stithians College school uniform on, before he’d head to the change room to get ready to represent the Lions team coached by Geoffrey Toyana back in 2016.

As a fast bowler with a batting technique akin to a top-order run machine, it was only natural that the South African public looked to him to replicate the legendary Jacques Kallis. Although the pace of his bowling wasn’t quite at the level of Kallis and he preferred the risky, attacking option when batting, the refinement of his prodigious talent seemed inevitable.

But Mulder struggled to find his feet at the next level of cricket for a lot longer than anticipated. He made his Test debut in South Africa’s second Test in the shock 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka in 2019, when he replaced the injured Vernon Philander.

He came in to bat at seven, contributed 15 runs across both innings, and bowled only seven overs, collecting one wicket, in the Proteas’ eight-wicket defeat.

Despite the defeat, it was a slow introduction to Test cricket with no real batting or bowling responsibility put on his shoulders.

Backed

But current Proteas red ball coach Shukri Conrad sees Mulder’s role in the side differently, believing he performs best when he does have that responsibility and takes accountability.

“Backing him brings the best out of him. He’s a vital cog in the team and will remain a vital cog going forward,” Conrad said recently.

Mulder was given the responsibility of opening the bowling, alongside Kagiso Rabada, in South Africa’s opening Test match against Bangladesh in Dhaka, where he picked up three wickets with the new ball.

Wiaan Mulder bowls during the second Test match between South Africa and West Indies at Wanderers Stadium on 9 March 2023 in Johannesburg. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

This follows a player-of-the-match display in South Africa’s 40-run victory over West Indies in the Caribbean before their tour to Bangladesh, in which the all-rounder collected six scalps.

At present, Mulder averages only 24 with the ball. Only Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, in the current Test squad, have a better Test average.

This, added to his ever-improving batting, has made Mulder a valuable asset to the Test side in Marco Jansen’s absence. Jansen is on a conditioning programme in South Africa.

“He probably won’t reach the heights of some other all-rounders to have played for South Africa, but he’s a genuine all-rounder,” Conrad said about Mulder.

“He adds real balance to the side, and in our team, the all-rounder role is a critical one.

“What I’ve really liked is that his bowling has come on in leaps and bounds – he’s bowling quicker than before, he can bowl with the new ball and he’s nice and aggressive.

“He takes catches at slip and he’s shown signs of what he’s capable of with the bat.”

Like Kallis – who averaged 26.47 after 15 Test matches – Mulder also had a slow start to his Test career with the willow.

After averaging 15 in his first 14 Test matches with the bat and no half-centuries, Mulder struck his first 50 and first Test century in consecutive matches during the tour to Bangladesh.

His undefeated 105, coming in at number seven in Chattogram in South Africa’s second Test, showed his vast array of strokes, including his ability to play spin – something many South African batters have struggled with in the past.

While on 99, Mulder cleanly clubbed left-arm tweaker Taijul Islam – who had already taken five South African wickets in the innings – straight back over his head, exhibiting how much his confidence has grown with the willow over the past few months in Proteas Test camp.

“What these coaches have identified in me is that when I’m positive, when I’m free mentally and I’m not worried about surviving or getting out, that’s when I get into my best positions,” Mulder said about being backed by coaches to play his natural game.

Still improving

Although it was the backing and support of Conrad that saw Mulder re-enter the Test fray, there have been several coaches along the way who have helped the young player to develop from a talented teenager to a consistent performer.

“I had to work on a lot of mental stuff,” Mulder said about finding consistency in his game. “When I started in international cricket, I was really young and naive and didn’t quite understand what I was getting myself into really, and I couldn’t really deal with the pressure.

Wiaan Mulder reacts after being bowled out.(Photo: Clive Rose / Getty Images)

“There were a couple of technical things I had to change. Mark Boucher was a big part of my development in terms of understanding my technique and what’s required of me in the team environment.

“I had to go back to domestic cricket and [county] cricket in England to try to get better. And try to understand what my way of going about things is.

“The last two seasons with Russell Domingo as head coach at the Lions have clarified a lot of my doubts and the things I felt I had to iron out of my game.

“He guided me on that process with [batting coach] Hashim Amla and [bowling coach] Allan Donald really well to find my blueprint,” Mulder said.

He also found guidance in former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson during his time with the San Francisco Unicorns at Major League Cricket in the US earlier this year.

Despite the information overload from the different coaches, it has not overwhelmed Mulder, who is absorbing even the tiniest details with the bat and ball to continue his path of improvement.

“I’m 26, I’m still learning a lot about my game, so to say I understand it fully would be a blatant lie,” he said.

“The basics about it is that I had to understand where my off stump is, where my feet need to be, where my body needs to be in order to access more areas.

“I’m still learning about the angles of bowling, but being able to free up my hip big time has given me a little more zip off the pitch.”

Through this Mulder is beginning to pay back the early investment Cricket South Africa has made in him. Expecting anyone to replicate what Kallis did in Test cricket is foolish, but Mulder is proving to be a valuable asset in his own way. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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