Now serving for a place in South Africa's ODI team‚ Wiaan Mulder

“Must he go bat or must I go bat?”

You might wonder how all-rounder Wiaan Mulder came to ask such a thing‚ considering all the planning that goes into a batting order. But this was different.

Mulder wasn’t confused until he took a telephone call at around 3pm on Monday: pack your kit‚ son‚ you’re joining South Africa’s one-day squad in Paarl in time for Wednesday’s second one-day international against Bangladesh.Except that Mulder was playing for the Lions in a first-class game against the Knights in Potchefstroom when the phone rang.

His coach‚ Geoff Toyana‚ explained that he would be removed and replaced in the franchise side.

“I tried to get a not-out overnight because the guy who’s replacing me would get a chance to bat [on Tuesday‚ the second day]‚” Mulder said.

He duly reached stumps unbeaten on 18. His stand-in‚ Wihan Lubbe‚ scored 15 on Tuesday.

Now for the harder part. Mulder‚ only 19 but a veteran of South Africa’s under-19 team‚ could make his debut on Wednesday.

“I’m not too sure if I’m ready‚” he said.

“But I’m just going to go out there and do my best and play with freedom. That’s all I can control.”

He’s taking his cue from another of South Africa’s bright young things.

“Aiden Markram told me a couple of months ago‚ ‘Go out there and be yourself. Don’t try and prove a point to anybody. Don’t try and be somebody that you’re not.’

“Just having that peace of mind‚ that no matter what‚ you’ll still be the same person‚ is quite a big thing. It’s helped me with my success‚ going out there and not worrying too much about what the guys are saying or what they might say afterwards.

“A lot of young guys struggle with that because the mindset of just being yourself is tough.

“As a young guy you want to impress. You want to be the big guy. You want to be the guy who stands up when the occasion is there.”

The occasion could well be there on Wednesday or in the last match of the series in East London on Sunday if Ottis Gibson’s views on Mulder are to be taken at face value.

“One of the things we are trying to do as a one-day team is widen the pool of players that we need to choose from‚” Gibson said.

“He is here now because he is talented and he is somebody who‚ in two years’ time if he develops in the right way‚ there is no reason why he can’t be part of the squad going forward.”

Soon after arriving in Paarl‚ Mulder was saying howzit to his new squad mates‚ an experience he called “extremely intimidating”.

“Going to greet the guys — AB de Villiers‚ Hashim Amla‚ Kagiso Rabada … it was massive for me‚” he said.

“I didn’t know what to say to them. You just go and shake their hands and smile. You’re not too sure what to do.”

Not that he has found his greatest inspiration on a cricket ground. Instead‚ he discovered that in “Roger Federer‚ just the way he approaches every match - the way he trains‚ the way he’s extremely strong mentally. He can come back from wherever he is in a match”.

“He’s been my main role model in sport. His mindset is unbelievable. That’s driven me massively in tough situations‚ and even when the going is good.”

It’s just not cricket‚ but that won’t matter if Mulder helps South Africa beat Bangladesh game‚ set and match.