NEW DELHI: The packed calendar of modern cricket is extremely demanding, and South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder believes that the era of cricketers developing 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), reflected on the rapid growth of cricket in the United States, highlighted the benefits of South Africa’s multi-sport culture, and credited SA20 for strengthening the country’s international teams across all formats during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.Quotes:How would you describe the cricket culture in the USA?I think the culture of cricket is very strong. Most of the local boys are from cricketing countries and moved to USA to pursue cricket career. The quality of local players is really good.In our team (TSK), players like Abhi (Abhimanyu Lamba), Amshi (Amshi De Silva) and some of the South Africans who are currently representing the USA are strong cricketers. This is 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 the league and cricket in this country. Hopefully they can produce more local players born and raised in America because that is the goal, to get Americans involved in the game and be exposed to cricket. American sports fans are fiercely loyal to their own sports, so a cricket barrier needs to be broken. But I think that barrier is slowly starting to come down.
Texas Super Kings’ Wiaan Mulder greets the Seattle Orcas player after their six-wicket win in their opening match. (Image courtesy: TSK)
Nowadays, players competing in all three formats have become rare, and you are one of those players. How difficult is it to maintain a career in Tests, ODIs, T20Is and franchise cricket? Is it sustainable in the long run?It’s really hard, to be honest. I saw a quote from Ashwin a few days ago where he said that T20 cricket should almost be treated as a separate game from ODIs and Test cricket. To an extent, I agree. Your skill sets need to keep improving in T20 cricket because the way the game is played today there is little room for predictability. In one-day and four-day cricket, bowling at the top of the stumps is still very effective. In T20 cricket, I realized that there are two weapons that I need to add to my armory as a bowler.As a batter, it’s the same. Look at the innings Rowman Powell (27-ball 73) played against us. That’s a pure power hit. It’s not something you usually do in one-day or four-day cricket. There is a different element to batsmanship in those formats.
I saw a quote from Ashwin a few days ago where he said that T20 cricket should almost be treated as a separate game from ODIs and Test cricket. To an extent, I agree. Your skill sets need to keep improving in T20 cricket because the way the game is played today there is little room for predictability.
William Mulder |: TSK player:
Playing all three formats is very difficult and that is the reason why very few players manage to be consistently successful in all of them. Going forward, I think the players have to make a choice. Your body is in pain because each format requires something different physically. Painful and uncomfortable.It is also difficult 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 Africa’s batter Wiaan Mulder plays a shot on the first day of the second test match between India and South Africa at the ACA Stadium, in Guwahati on Saturday. (THIS picture)
People always talk about the changes required when moving from T20 cricket to longer formats. But what about the other way? If one is basically a red-ball player, how many technical changes are required to succeed in T20 cricket?There are many changes. Technique is one part of it and the mental part is another. If you look at the players who have been consistently successful in T20 cricket, their techniques are often very different from those who thrive in four-day cricket and, to some extent, even one-day cricket. There are definitely technical changes that are required if you want to be successful with the formats. That’s what the players like AB de Villiers and: Virat Kohli: very special They always find ways to adapt their games to different formats. Anyone who likes: Jasprit Bumrah have a skill set that is highly adaptable across formats. Technique is a huge part of the game and it is always evolving. You’re always trying to find an edge, improve and help your team win because, in the end, that’s what it’s all about.
The Impact Player rule removes my biggest strengths, which are batting and bowling and brings balance to the team. I think it’s amazing for the fans because teams can score 200 at almost any stage.
William Mulder |: TSK:
As an all-rounder, what do you do with the Impact Player rule? Some senior cricketers believe that it affects the development of true all-rounders. How do you see it?I think there’s a reason you’re asking me because it’s going to get me out of the game. The Impact Player rule removes my biggest strengths, which are batting and bowling and brings balance to the team. I think it’s amazing for the fans because teams can score 200 at almost any stage. The batting line-ups go down and you can see players like Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No. 9 and scored a fifty off 25 balls to win matches.So it’s good for the audience and maybe 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 took some of that away and turned it into a one-way contest.Does it work in IPL? Absolutely. The batters are given a lot of freedom and the bowlers are forced to be very accurate. Personally, though, I’d prefer it without it.
South Africa is the reigning WTC champion.
South African cricketers have always grown up playing multiple sports. We have heard stories about players who are good at other sports. How much has the sport 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 play is a big part of South African culture. As children, we are encouraged to play as many sports as possible and just enjoy the competition. This really helps. I think it makes us more competitive and better athletes. If you look at South Africans as a whole, we are 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 can become very skilled very quickly.For me, though, playing more sports has made me a better athlete and that’s important in cricket because you need to bat, bowl and field. This will definitely benefit us as a nation.
A lot of that comes from SA20 as it exposes a lot of domestic players to high level cricket. This has a huge positive impact not only on our domestic players but also on our international cricketers because we always play the most competitive cricket.
William 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 to win major titles?This is a special time for cricket in South Africa. When we won the World Test Championship, we had so many players who contributed. Many men have scored hundreds, many have taken five-wicket hauls and different players have stepped up at different times. Even in the end, different people made decisive contributions. That’s what makes the team stronger.A lot of that comes from SA20 as it exposes a lot of domestic players to high level cricket. This has a huge positive impact not only on our domestic players but also on our international cricketers because we always play the most competitive cricket. I really hope that continues because I think cricket in South Africa is moving in the right direction.
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The biggest challenge has always been to keep our best players committed to international cricket. Not only in South Africa, but everywhere else, the money offered by franchise leagues is very attractive.It is difficult to keep players prioritizing international cricket with such demanding schedules. At the moment, we have players who are mainly in South Africa and that is something we have got right. Whether that will continue in the long term, I am not sure, but I hope it will because there is nothing like playing Test cricket for South Africa. The feeling and the environment of the team is very difficult to replicate anywhere else. I think international cricket will eventually be played in dedicated windows as 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.