Johannesburg — There is no debating Wiaan Mulder’s position in the starting eleven for the first Test against India, which starts on Sunday.
Mulder will be playing his seventh Test. The start of his international red ball career could be described as solid. The highlights have come mainly with the ball, and going into the India series Mulder and everyone else watching will be expecting more of an impact with the bat.
It’s what he was initially classed as when Geoffrey Toyana, picked him as a matriculant to make his first class debut for the Lions five years ago. He made little impression with the bat, but claimed seven wickets in that particular match. The start to his Test career has been similar.
Mulder’s best moments have been with the ball; the pre-lunch spell against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers in January when he picked up three wickets in 11 balls to break the back of the tourists first innings. There was a stunning spell in Grenada in the second Test when he wrapped up the West Indies tail, finishing with what remains his best bowling figures of 3/1.
With the bat however, there’s always been the sense that there’s more to come. In nine Test innings’ he’s reached at least 20, four times, suggesting he’s making starts, but not building on them. Three of those four innings’ saw Mulder gift his wicket to the opposition, twice with loose shots and the other in Rawalpindi against Pakistan via an innings changing run out.
It’s perhaps because he’s viewed as a ‘batting all-rounder’ that there’s been mild criticism about his role. Mulder provides much needed balance when selecting the starting side. In Rawalpindi, his presence meant the Proteas could play two front-line spinners, while still retaining three seamers.
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For this series with India, Mulder means there is no need to debate whether Keshav Maharaj should start and South Africa plays an all pace attack. There will be four seamers and Maharaj, the right balance, giving Dean Elgar options with the ball.
But it does also mean, Mulder, likely to bat at no.7, has to produce more with the bat. South Africa’s batting is not strong, and it hasn’t been helped by the lack of Test cricket the Proteas have played in 2021. India’s bowling line-up is superb, and they’ll exploit whatever conditions served, meaning lower order runs may well shape the series.
There’s an interesting comparison to be drawn with Australia’s Cameron Green, who is 18 months younger than Mulder and has played the same number of Tests. Green, who bats one place higher at no.6, initially made more of an impact with the bat, with an innings of 84 against India in Sydney last season, the best he’s produced.
This year, in the Ashes, he’s certainly stood out with the ball, twice claiming the wicket of Joe Root.
With Mulder and Green there’s the enticing prospect of watching and comparing two young seam bowling all-rounders, who are set to be crucial members of their respective teams over the next decade.
Mulder’s presence is vital for the Proteas, but he has to turn the potential into product and given the limited number of Tests South Africa will play in the near future, that transition needs to occur quickly.
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If Mulder makes an impact with both bat and ball, the Proteas will narrow the gap, between them and tourists, who start the series as favourites.
IOL Sport