New Delhi: Modern cricket’s schedule is extremely demanding and South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder believes the era of cricketers thriving in all three formats is slowly coming to an end. The 28-year-old, who plays for Texas Super Kings (TSK) in the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC), in an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com, recalled the rapid growth of cricket in the United States, highlighted the benefits of South Africa’s multi-sporting culture and praised SA20 for strengthening the country’s international teams across all formats.extractHow would you describe cricket culture in the United States?I think the cricket culture is pretty strong. Most of the locals are from cricketing countries and migrated to the United States to pursue a cricketing career. In fact, the quality of local players is indeed good.In our team (TSK), players like Abhimanyu Lamba, Amshi De Silva and some South African players who are now representing the US team are very strong cricketers. This is one of the reasons why the league is so competitive.If you look at the top wicket-takers and the top run-scorers, many of them are representing the United States, which is a very promising sign for the league and cricket in this country. Hopefully they can produce more homegrown players who were born and raised in America, because that’s the ultimate goal, getting Americans involved in cricket. American sports fans are extremely loyal to their sport, so this is a barrier that cricket must break. But I think that barrier is slowly starting to come down.
Texas Super Kings’ Wiaan Mulder greets Seattle Orca players after recording a six-wicket win in their first game. (Photo courtesy: TSK)
Today, there are fewer and fewer players who can compete in all three formats, and you are one of them. How difficult is it to sustain a career in Tests, ODIs, T20Is and franchise cricket? Is it sustainable in the long run?To be honest, it’s really hard. I came across a quote from Ashwin a few days ago where he said that T20 cricket should almost be considered a different game from ODI and Test cricket. To some extent, I agree. In T20 cricket, your skill set has to evolve because there is little room for predictability in the way the game is played now. Bowling at the top of the stumps is still very effective in one-day and four-day cricket. In T20 cricket, I realized that I needed to add some weapons to my arsenal as a bowler.As a batsman, it’s a similar story. Look at the number of games Roman Powell (73 off 27 balls) against us. That was a pure power strike. This is not something that is usually done in one-day or four-day cricket. There are different batting technique elements within these formats.
I came across a quote from Ashwin a few days ago where he said that T20 cricket should almost be considered a different game from ODI and Test cricket. To some extent, I agree. In T20 cricket, your skill set has to evolve because there is little room for predictability in the way the game is played now.
William Mulder | TSK Player
Playing all three formats is extremely difficult, which is why so few players have sustained success in all of them. Going forward, I think players will increasingly have to make choices. Your body will take a beating because each form places different demands on the body. It can become painful and uncomfortable.It is also difficult for people to stay away from T20 cricket because of the money involved. But Test cricket will always have a place for those who truly love the game.
Guwahati, November 22 (ANI): South Africa batsman Vian Mulder bats during the first day of the second Test match between India and South Africa at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday. (Arnie photo)
People often talk about the adjustments required when moving from T20 cricket to longer formats. But what about the other way around? If someone is primarily a red-ball player, how much technical change is required to be successful in T20 cricket?There are many changes. The technical aspect is one part of it, the spiritual aspect is another. If you look at players who are consistently successful in T20 cricket, their skills often look very different to players who have excelled in four-day cricket or even one-day cricket to an extent. If you want to be successful in multiple formats, you definitely need to make technical adjustments. This is what makes players like it AB de Villiers swear Virat Kohli So special. They are constantly looking for ways to adapt their games to different formats. Some people even like it Jasprit Bumrah Possess skills that are incredibly adaptable across formats. Technology is an important part of the game and is constantly evolving. You’re always trying to find an edge, improve and help your team win, because at the end of the day, 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’s great for the fans because teams can score 200 at almost any stage.
William Mulder | TSK
As an all-around player, what do you think about the impact player rule? Some senior cricketers feel that this affects the development of a true all-rounder. What do you think?I think there’s a reason you’re asking me, because it almost threw 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 great for the fans because teams can score 200 at almost any stage. The batting line-up goes all the way down and you see guys like Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No. 9 and scoring 50 runs in 25 balls to win the game.So it’s definitely good for the audience and probably good for the business side of the game. But as a cricketer and someone who loves the game, I love the tactical battles, the cat-and-mouse game of cricket. The “impact player” rule removes some of that, making it more of a one-way game.Has it played a role in the IPL? Absolutely. It gives the hitter tremendous freedom and forces the pitcher to be extremely accurate. But personally, I’d rather it not exist.
South Africa is the defending WTC champion.
South African cricketers grew up playing multiple sports. We hear stories of athletes excelling in other sports. How helpful is this sporting culture to South African cricketers? What sports did you play growing up?I played many sports as a child, including tennis, rugby, cricket and golf. School sport is an important part of South African culture. As children, we are encouraged to play as many sports as possible and enjoy competing. This definitely helps. I think it makes us more competitive and better athletes. If you look at South Africans as a whole, we are all very good athletes in different sports and I think that is a competitive advantage. On the other hand, if a person specializes in a sport from a young age, they will quickly become very skilled at it.For me, though, playing multiple sports makes me a better player, which is valuable in cricket because you need batting, bowling and pitching. It’s definitely good for us as a country.
A lot of that comes from SA20 as it exposes many domestic players to high-level cricket. This has had a huge positive impact not only on our domestic players but also on our international cricketers as we have been playing competitive cricket.
William Mulder | TSK
South African cricket has had a remarkable year, winning the World Test Championship after facing criticism for its squad selection earlier in the season. How do you see this team progressing across formats? Can South Africa go on to win major titles?This is a special time for South African cricket. We had a lot of players who contributed when we won the World Test Championship. A lot of people scored hundreds, a lot of people took five wickets, different players stepped up at different moments. Even in the final, different people made decisive contributions. That’s why the team is so strong.A lot of that comes from SA20 as it exposes many domestic players to high-level cricket. This has had a huge positive impact not only on our domestic players but also on our international cricketers as we have been playing 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 is always getting our best players committed to international cricket. The funding offered by franchise alliances is extremely attractive, not just in South Africa but everywhere.With such a tight schedule, it is difficult to get players to prioritize international cricket. At the moment, our players are putting South Africa first and that’s the right thing for us to do. I’m not sure if this will continue long-term, but I hope so because there’s nothing better than playing Test cricket for South Africa. This feeling and team environment is difficult to replicate elsewhere. I think international cricket will eventually be played in dedicated windows and franchise leagues will continue to grow. But South African cricket has a very strong culture and we love representing our country. If this remains the priority, I believe South Africa will continue to compete at the highest level.
