South Africa’s key all-rounder reveals his ideal batting spot

LONDON: South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder on Tuesday expressed his strong desire to cement the number three batting position for the Proteas following an encouraging performance in the ICC World Test Championship final.

The 27-year-old impressed when batting at first drop during the Ultimate Test at Lord’s, contributing scores of six and 27. 

His crucial 61-run partnership with centurion Aiden Markram on day three proved pivotal in South Africa’s five-wicket victory over Australia.

Speaking to ICC digital, Mulder revealed that he relished the responsibility that comes with batting at one of the most important positions in the Test batting order.

“To be honest, I loved it (batting at three) in this Test. I’m a bad watcher, especially knowing I’m next in, I get so nervous — and I think everyone does,” Mulder said.

“If they say they don’t, I think they’re lying, to be honest. There’s a lot that goes through your head when you’re watching, but when you bat at three you have to be switched on from the very first ball.

“I didn’t mind that and I really enjoyed it. I really hope that Shuks [South Africa coach Shukri Conrad] sees me there going forward because I think I can have a big impact.”

Mulder emphasised while talking about his position that if he bats at that number, it will balance the team and benefit South Africa.

“I think it balances our team well. If I bat at three, we can play Kesh (Keshav Maharaj) anywhere in the world because I can be the fourth seamer and Kesh will be our spinner,” Mulder noted.

“That makes us very versatile in different conditions, and if I can contribute runs there it would mean a lot. Having more responsibility with the bat suits my character, and batting at three lets me have an impact on the game throughout.”

Mulder described the WTC Final against Australia as the biggest Test of his career and stated that he learned a lot from the final.

“I haven’t batted a lot at three, so this is another chance to learn, score runs and impact the game. It’ll be different mentally compared to facing Australia at Lord’s — that was probably the biggest Test I’ll ever play in — but I love the game and just want to be out there,” he said.

“When I spoke to Shuks about it, I told him, Please don’t even think about not playing me,” he concluded.