Mulder balances priorities while trying to help Proteas score more runs

While all around him there was ruin, Wiaan Mulder produced another display that demonstrated his resolve and placed him at the front of the race for the all-rounder’s spot in the Proteas one-day team. 

On a night where optimism was in drastically short supply for the South Africans, Mulder took his chance to show he may be the man Rob Walter is looking for to provide balance to the one-day squad. 

Although understanding the nature of his rivalry with Andile Phehlukwayo, Jason Smith and Patrick Kruger among others, Mulder is concentrating on winning matches for SA rather than trying to put himself ahead of the rest. 

“If I’m focusing on competition with others, I will lose track of what I actually need to do to win a game of cricket,” said the 26-year-old. 

“I know in this team there is space for me, even though Marco [Jansen] plays or Andy [Phehlukwayo] plays, whatever the combinations, there is an opportunity for me to play and that is my focus. It is to try to put in match-winning performances.”

Walter has prioritised the all-rounder berth from virtually the moment he was appointed. The Proteas' one-day coach has highlighted the importance of the balance those players provide to any starting team, creating extra depth in batting and bowling.

Jansen has fared the best, producing high-quality performances with both bat and ball at the last two World Cups, but Walter wants at least one more player capable of doing a similar job. 

Mulder scored 52 in what was otherwise a disastrous batting display by the Proteas in the first ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah. Without his skill, patience and determination, the eventual total of 106 would not have been reached.

In the last 18 months Mulder has shown his value for the variety of teams he has played for: helping the Lions win two domestic titles last season, Leicestershire claim the One-Day Cup crown in England last year and the Durban Super Giants earn a spot in the SA20 final. 

In addition, his recent player-of-the-match display in the second Test against the West Indies in Guyana indicated a player who is finally growing in confidence on the international stage. 

The others who are competing with him — most notably Phehlukwayo, who is the most experienced player in the group — have yet to show they are worthy of a place in the side. The nature of Phehlukwayo’s dismissal on Wednesday suggested a player who for all his talent lacks the necessary nous to be relied on to consistently contribute for the national team.

Ahead of Friday’s second match it is SA’s batting that remains under the spotlight, as has been the case for much of Walter’s period in charge.

Mulder admitted the batters failed to come to terms with the slow nature of the Sharjah pitch and were unaware about the variety that 18-year-old spinner Allah Ghaznafar possessed. Ghaznafar took 3/20 in 10 overs.       

“We knew about his variation, but the tricky part was to understand that the variation would spin away from the right-hander. That created a lot of insecurity,” said Mulder.

That lack of preparation is surprising, but more worrying was how so many of the batters’ techniques were made to look poor by the Afghans. Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram, the two most senior batters in the team, lacked conviction. Their output lately is cause for concern and while Markram has last year’s ODI World Cup as an illustration of his prowess, Hendricks may quickly find himself surplus to requirements as opportunities must be given to Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton. 

In the meanwhile, said Mulder, the Proteas just need to bat better.

“If you only put a hundred runs on the board, you are not going to win a lot of one-day games. We have to find a way to score on that pitch. We have to give the bowlers something to work with. We have to work out plans that will allow us to get 200 to 240 on that pitch.”