Wiaan Mulder shines in CSA 4-Day Division One with all-round heroics for the Lions
Wiaan Mulder has once again stood out as an all-rounder for the Lions in the CSA 4-Day Division One, delivering impressive performances with both bat and ball, including a century and 13 wickets in two matches, drawing comparisons to South African cricket legend Clive Rice. Picture: BIJU BORO / AFP
Image: BIJU BORO / AFP
Wiaan Mulder may not have grabbed headlines in the SA20, but since he’s turned his attention back to the CSA 4-Day Division One, he’s been a stand-out player for the Lions.
The 28-year-old that has quickly become a fixture in the Proteas Test side and has the highest score by a South African (367 not out) in the format, as an allrounder that has even prompted comparisons with some of the greats of the South African game like Clive Rice.
In his two matches for the Lions since he returned to red-ball cricket, Mulder has made scores of 26, 89 not out, and 115.
With the ball, he’s been even more impactful with 13 wickets in two games. In fact, 12 of those wickets (7/6 & 5/39) came in the Lions match against KZN-Inland (February 9 to 11) in which he notched up that ton. It was an incredible all-round match performance worth every bit of praise which comes his way.
Mulder’s SA20 Performance: Focus on Consistency and Batting at Five
"I felt good with the bat in the SA20, but I batted in a lot of tricky times and then when it doesn't come off, it looks bad,” Mulder told SportsBoom.co.za.
“But I didn't feel like I was playing badly. I've been working for a very long time with Hashim Amla [Lions batting coach] on playing straight - hitting the ball to mid-off or past the bowler more often. That was my focus.”
As for the comparisons with Rice, who played 482 First Class matches and 479 List A games between 1969 and 1994, Mulder swatted away such praise.
"Phew, Clive Rice is a legend! But I am trying to fill that sort of role and I love batting at five. It was my day with the ball, but I'm predominantly there to get runs and be very consistent with the ball. But I know I'm always in the game if there is something in the pitch."
"Batting-wise, there's a lot of ebb and flow, but I don't want to just survive, I want to take the game forward and that's when I've been at my best. We had a target in terms of batting bonus points and I made it my job.”