NEW DELHI: The packed calendar of modern cricket is extremely demanding, and South Africa all-rounder Wiaan Mulder believes the era of cricketers thriving across all three formats is slowly coming to an end. The 28-year-old, who is playing for Texas Super Kings (TSK) in the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC), reflected on cricket’s rapid growth in the United States, highlighted the benefits of South Africa’s multi-sport culture, and credited the SA20 for strengthening the country’s international teams across all formats during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia. com.ExcerptsHow would you describe the cricket culture in the USA?I think the cricket culture is quite strong. Most of the local guys come from cricketing nations and have moved to the USA to pursue a cricket career. The quality of the local players is actually really good.In our team (TSK), players like Abhi (Abhimanyu Lamba), Amshi (Amshi De Silva) and some of the South Africans who now represent the USA are really strong cricketers. That’s one of the reasons why the league is so competitive.If you look at the top wicket-takers and top run-scorers, many of them represent the USA, which is a really promising sign for both the league and cricket in this country. Hopefully, they can produce more local players who are born and bred in America because that’s ultimately the goal, to get Americans involved in the game and exposed to cricket. American sports fans are incredibly loyal to their own sports, so that’s a barrier cricket has to break. But I think that barrier is slowly starting to come down.
Texas Super Kings’ Wiaan Mulder greets Seattle Orcas player following their six-wicket win in their opening match. (Photo Courtesy: TSK)
Nowadays, players who compete across all three formats are becoming rare, and you’re one of those players. How difficult is it to sustain a career across Tests, ODIs, T20Is and franchise cricket? Is it sustainable in the long run?It’s really difficult, to be honest. I saw a quote from Ashwin a couple of days ago where he said T20 cricket should almost be treated as a different game from ODIs and Test cricket. To an extent, I agree. Your skill sets have to keep evolving in T20 cricket because the way the game is played now leaves very little room for being predictable. In one-day and four-day cricket, bowling at the top of the stumps is still very effective. In T20 cricket, I have realised there are a couple of weapons I need to add to my armoury as a bowler.As a batter, it’s similar. Look at the innings Rovman Powell (27-ball 73) played against us. That’s pure power hitting. It’s not something you generally do in one-day or four-day cricket. There’s a different element of batsmanship in those formats.
I saw a quote from Ashwin a couple of days ago where he said T20 cricket should almost be treated as a different game from ODIs and Test cricket. To an extent, I agree. Your skill sets have to keep evolving in T20 cricket because the way the game is played now leaves very little room for being predictable.
Wiaan Mulder | TSK player
Playing all three formats is extremely difficult and that’s why very few players manage to be consistently successful in all of them. Going forward, I think players will increasingly have to choose. Your body takes a beating because every format demands something different physically. It gets sore and uncomfortable.It’s also hard to stay away from T20 cricket because of the money involved. But Test cricket will always have a place for people who truly love the game.
Guwahati, Nov 22 (ANI): South African batter Wiaan Mulder plays a shot during the first day of the second test match between India and South Africa at ACA Stadium, in Guwahati on Saturday. (ANI Photo)
People often talk about the adjustments required when moving from T20 cricket to the longer formats. But what about the other way around? If someone is primarily a red-ball player, how many technical changes are needed to succeed in T20 cricket?There are plenty of changes. Technique is one part of it and the mental side is another. If you look at the players who are consistently successful in T20 cricket, their techniques often look very different from those who excel in four-day cricket and, to an extent, even one-day cricket. There are definitely technical adjustments required if you want to be successful across formats. That’s what makes players like AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli so special. They consistently find ways to adapt their games to different formats. Even someone like Jasprit Bumrah has a skill set that is incredibly adaptable across formats. Technique is a huge part of the game and it’s constantly evolving. You’re always trying to find an edge, improve and help your team win because, ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.
The Impact Player rule removes my biggest strengths, which are batting and bowling and bringing balance to the team. I think it is fantastic for the fans because teams can score 200 at almost any stage.
Wiaan Mulder | TSK
As an all-rounder, what do you make of the Impact Player rule? Some senior cricketers believe it affects the development of genuine all-rounders. How do you see it?I think there’s a reason you’re asking me because it pretty much takes me out of the game. The Impact Player rule removes my biggest strengths, which are batting and bowling and bringing balance to the team. I think it’s fantastic for the fans because teams can score 200 at almost any stage. Batting line-ups go all the way down and you see players like Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No. 9 and scoring a fifty off 25 balls to win games.So it’s definitely good for spectators and probably for the commercial side of the game. But as a cricketer and someone who loves the game, I enjoy the tactical battle, the cat-and-mouse aspect of cricket. The Impact Player rule takes some of that away and makes it more of a one-way contest.Has it worked in the IPL? Absolutely. It’s given batters tremendous freedom and forced bowlers to be incredibly accurate. Personally, though, I would prefer if it wasn’t there.
South Africa are the reigning WTC champions.
South African cricketers often grow up playing multiple sports. We have heard stories about players excelling in other sports. How much has that sporting culture helped South African cricketers, and what sports did you play growing up?I played a lot of sports growing up, tennis, rugby, cricket and golf. School sport is a massive part of South African culture. As kids, we’re encouraged to play as many sports as possible and simply enjoy competing. It definitely helps. I think it makes us more competitive and better athletes. If you look at South Africans in general, we’re pretty good athletes across different sports and I think that’s a competitive advantage. On the other hand, if someone specialises in one sport from a very young age, they can become exceptionally skilled very quickly.For me, though, playing multiple sports made me a better athlete and that’s valuable in cricket because you need to bat, bowl and field. It definitely benefits us as a nation.
A lot of that comes from the SA20 because it has exposed many domestic players to high-level cricket. It had a massive positive impact not just on our domestic players but also on our international cricketers because we are constantly playing highly competitive cricket.
Wiaan Mulder | TSK
South African cricket has had a remarkable year, winning the World Test Championship after facing criticism over squad selections earlier in the cycle. How do you see this team progressing across formats, and can South Africa continue winning major titles?It has been a special period for South African cricket. When we won the World Test Championship, we had so many players contributing. Lots of guys scored hundreds, plenty took five-wicket hauls and different players stepped up at different moments. Even in the final, different people made decisive contributions. That’s what made the team so strong.A lot of that comes from the SA20 because it has exposed many domestic players to high-level cricket. It had a massive positive impact not just on our domestic players but also on our international cricketers because we’re constantly playing highly competitive cricket. I really hope that continues because I think South African cricket is moving in the right direction.
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The biggest challenge will always be keeping our best players committed to international cricket. Not just in South Africa, but everywhere, the money offered by franchise leagues is incredibly attractive.To keep players prioritising international cricket with such demanding schedules is difficult. At the moment, we have players who put South Africa first and that’s something we’ve got right. Whether that continues in the long term, I’m not sure, but I hope it does because there’s nothing quite like playing Test cricket for South Africa. The feeling and the team environment are very difficult to replicate anywhere else. I think international cricket will eventually be played in dedicated windows while franchise leagues continue to grow. But South African cricket has a very strong culture and we love representing our country. If that remains the priority, I believe South Africa will continue to compete at the highest level.
