Wiaan Mulder’s hard work pays off with the ball

Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder said on Saturday that his quickfire demolition of the West Indies lower-order on the second day of the second Test at St Lucia was a welcome consolation after all the hard work, without much to show for it, that he has been putting into his batting.

Mulder rounded off another clinical bowling display by South Africa as the West Indies were bundled out for just 149, giving the Proteas a gratifying 149-run first-innings lead.

The 23-year-old seamer took three for one in four overs, equalling the best three-wicket haul by a South African in a Test innings, first achieved by fellow Johannesburg-born all-rounder Andrew Hall against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers in 2002.

While Mulder’s Test bowling stats have now been boosted to 14 wickets in six matches at an average of just 20.07, he has scored only 143 runs in eight innings, averaging 17.87. He has looked good at the crease, sharing in some important partnerships, but has then been dismissed by some excellent deliveries.

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“The batting has been a bit frustrating. I’m working really hard in the nets and I’m spending a lot of time at the crease, but I don’t seem to get many bad balls and on this pitch there’s always a ball with your name on it,” Mulder said.

“I actually had a long chat with Aiden Markram about it and he said I’m doing all the right things and my luck will change.

“It’s funny with the bowling, that was not at all expected. I’ve actually been struggling for rhythm.

“There was not much movement out there and the West Indies were stabilising, so it was a gamble to bring me on. I think the fast bowlers must have been tired. So I was just trying to land the ball in the right areas,” he added with some modesty considering the couple of jaffas he bowled.

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The Proteas team seem to be in a very good space at the moment, with Quinton de Kock leading the way and being all smiles behind the stumps after he added a pugnacious 96 to his unbeaten century in the first Test.

Mulder said the health of the team environment was due to hard work.

“A lot of things are contributing but the biggest thing is that we are training incredibly hard and at a very high intensity,” he said.

“We’ve been hoping it clicks and Mark Boucher (coach) really believes in hard work being the key to consistency, and not just putting in lucky performances now and then. So that’s our secret, and since Dean Elgar has been captain, there’s been a policy of no hiding.

“We’re being honest with each other about our performances.”