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Wiaan Mulder had a decent day with the ball (AFP)
- Wiaan Mulder denied his status as the fifth Proteas bowler on the opening day of the test series against Sri Lanka by producing a good spell.
- The 22-year-old off-roader caught three high-profile terrain while encouragingly displaying a versatile skill set.
- While he embarrassed his more stunt teammates to some degree, Mulder believes a young attacker will have learned a lot from a rough day.
Wiaan mulder, confident as the Protea’s designated all-rounder for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Centurion, put an encouraging spell on Saturday’s opening day to sheer simplicity.
The 22-year-old Highveld Lions star, who has previously stated that he considers himself an all-rounder hitter, showed his prowess on the ball by finishing 3/68 of 18 lionheart overs.
It doesn’t necessarily look potent on paper, but in the context of Sri Lanka’s run to 340/6 late in the game, it was a useful contribution.
“It was pretty simple what he had to do,” Mulder said at the end of Saturday’s play.
“We started a little shaky and at that point my responsibility was clear. I had to adopt a simple strategy, keep the ball off the stump and stop the runs. Getting a wicket is practically an advantage.
“He had to try to get us back in the game. There was something in the wicket at all times, so he had to keep things simple.”
While Mulder’s first wicket, that of starter Kusal Perera, came almost entirely down to arrogant shots from the southpaw, there were distinct touches of class on his other scalps.
He first surprised inning leader Dinesh Chandimal, who made 85, with an excellent delivery that sprouted from a length and surprised his opponent, before going more full and catching dangerous Niroshan Dickwella (49) up front.
Catching three high-profile hitting victims certainly belied his status as South Africa’s fifth pitcher.
Mulder largely embarrassed his specialist bowling teammates even though he had a kind word for his franchise and rookie teammate Lutho Sipamla, who rebounded from an initial two-spell reprimand to finish respectable.
“He’s a good bowler who has done very well nationally. Not many of us try to overload him with too much advice,” he said.
“Lutho worked hard at all times. I’ve played with him before, so personally I just told him to do what he’s been doing at the national level. He came back very well and put the ball in the right areas.”
Sipamla’s inconsistency was part of a larger issue of a Proteas attack that lacks experience.
In fact, the unit assembled for this match is the least experienced home test attack since Boxing Day in 1993 and there would surely be setbacks.
“I think every young attack wants to make a point and contribute to the team,” Mulder said.
“And the way they do it will probably be different. In the end, the older players helped a lot. They never made a situation bigger or smaller than it needed to be.
“Even the most experienced players keep things simple, but are aggressive. We all strive to be the best versions of ourselves, but today it was part of the game.”
“We all learned lessons.”
