Off the back of a magnificent all-round performance and while still adapting to his new batting position at No 3, Wiaan Mulder has been given more responsibility: to captain the Proteas in the second Test against Zimbabwe.
Keshav Maharaj, who was handed the leadership reins after Temba Bavuma was withdrawn from the squad because of a hamstring strain, will head back to South Africa after he picked up a groin injury while batting in the second innings in Bulawayo.
Maharaj, who picked up his 200th wicket in South Africa's 328-run victory in the first Test, will undergo scans upon his return. He has been replaced by Senuran Muthusamy.
As for Mulder, who made a Test best 147, picked up four wickets and took two catches in the first match, Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad said he hopes the added responsibility of captaincy will help the 27-year-old elevate his game even more.
“Every question recently is, why Wiaan?” Conrad mused on Wednesday.
“He’s on top of his game at the moment. He captained the South Africa U-19 side, he’s shown good leadership qualities. This is part of his journey, where he is starting to take more responsibility in this side.
“We have seen him do a lot of that in this series and it will be a great opportunity for Wiaan to grow into becoming a leader in this group. He has all the attributes. The more responsibility I give him, the better Wiaan’s reacted and I think we will see improved performances. He thrives on that responsibility.
“It’s a good chance to ride the confident mood Wiaan is in. This might go a long way to freeing him up. I’d like to get the sense that he feels we back him.”
Mulder said after his second-innings century he believes the No 3 spot suits him, having played there twice — on the first occasion because of an injury — before he was given the role in the World Test Championship final.
After making six in the first innings at Lord’s, Mulder looked much more assured the second time, sharing a vital 61-run second-wicket partnership with Aiden Markram that calmed the South African dressing room as they successfully pursued a target of 282 to beat Australia.
That win, said Conrad, has helped give him room to blood young players such as Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis.
“When the team is confident, on the back of beating Australia in the final, there is a feel-good factor. The young players can walk into the group where the rest are confident and the senior players are performing.”
While pleased with the overall performance in the first Test, Conrad hoped Tony de Zorzi, who made a 16-ball duck in the first innings followed by 31 in the second, can regain his confidence.
“Tony will be disappointed that when he got in in the second innings, he didn’t make it count. He’s desperate for a few runs. That is part of the journey, especially for an opening batter.
“It’s never easy. There was a bit of spice in the wicket, he had his work cut out. Part of the journey is how you come back from having a difficult time when you’re not scoring runs.”
The second Test starts at the Queens Sports Club on Sunday. Lungi Ngidi will no longer feature in that match and instead will train with the T20 squad at the Centre of Excellence in Tshwane.
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