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Ken Borland



Mulder: Proteas arrive in Zim with a deep bond & new prospects 0

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Ken

Wiaan Mulder training for the number three batting position. (Photo: Daniel Prentice/Gallo Images)

The Proteas have arrived in Zimbabwe as world Test champions ahead of their two-match series starting on Saturday, with all-rounder Wiaan Mulder saying the team enjoys a new, deeper bond after Lord’s, but it is something that the newcomers in the squad can also find welcoming.

Only six of the 14-man South Africa squad for the two Tests in Bulawayo were at Lord’s for the epic victory over Australia.

“It was the biggest Test win of our lives, so we had awesome celebrations with each other and our sponsors, before returning to our families and the people that mean the most to us. That reset was important because the World Test Championship final was an extremely high high, it was all a bit of a blur, there was so much adrenaline and I hardly slept for 10 days,” Mulder said this week.

“So to spend a couple of days at home was very important for us to come back to reality. We were treated like royalty before, but that’s not real life. Going from Lord’s, the home of cricket and all the history and tradition, to Bulawayo, I guess will make quite a difference too.

“It’s a new squad with a lot of guys wanting to prove a point, guys who have played so well domestically over the last couple of seasons to get here. So we’re not going to think too much about what happened in the WTC.

“But there’s a spirit in the squad that I’ve not seen before, to be honest. The big difference is our self-image, we now believe. I don’t think we always did believe we could beat the big teams, and there were lots of big moments that made us sore.

“There’s now a very big belief that we can reach those heights again and the young guys coming in believe that too. And we will continue doing it our way. But we’re not being arrogant because we know that we must still put our best foot forward on every ball.

“We’ve had those conversations already, that no matter what team is representing the Proteas, it will be the best team available at that time and we are the world champions. So we will train like we are the best in the world, we won’t be taking any steps back and we want to keep showing the character that means we keep coming back.

“Obviously some of the guys need some rest, but that provides an opportunity for someone else and we will still be pushing the bar as much as we can,” Mulder said.

The 27-year-old said he also wants to build a relationship with his new spot in the batting order – at number three. Things went poorly there for Mulder in the first innings at Lord’s as he came to the crease at the end of the first over, and struggled to 6 off 44 balls in a torrid test for any top-order batsman, let alone a makeshift one.

But he certainly showed mental steel in the second innings as he ensured he did not get ‘stuck’, moving fluently to 27 and helping Aiden Markram lay a crucial solid foundation up top as they added 61 for the second wicket.

“I wouldn’t say I was thrown in the deep end because I always see myself as a batsman. I think I have spent a lot of my career hiding behind wanting to be more of a bowler. I loved getting a chance at three and hopefully I can make it work because it balances the team nicely and I believe I can play in many different situations.

“I hope [coach] Shukri Conrad’s thinking stays the same, but I need to get runs wherever I bat. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career and I don’t think I’ve done as well as I can or as well as Shukri thinks I can.

“But I will give everything I can because batting at three could just be a temporary thing. But hopefully I can fill that role through to the next WTC final. I’ve worked very hard technically on being able to manage the new ball and score runs. The final was only the second time I’ve batted there in Test cricket without a broken hand and I learned a lot.

“I want to be positive and show good intent. The first innings taught me that I need to get into positions to transfer the pressure, that is more important than just trying to survive. It’s important that I have the mindset of looking to score, that’s when I’m at my best and I did that more in the second innings.

“I’m still figuring it out; some people will say that means I’ve been thrown in the deep end, but others would say that’s the best place to learn because you get proof of whether what you’re trying to do will work,” Mulder said.

In terms of his bowling, the right-arm seamer acknowledges that it will take something of a miracle for him to keep up his bowling loads if he becomes settled at number three in the batting line-up.

“Every day I’m trying to work out how I’m going to manage the batting and the bowling, to still be able to bowl 15 overs in a day and bat number three – it’s finding that balance. Few people have been able to do that, even the King, Jacques Kallis, didn’t bowl as many overs when he batted number three.

“But I will always be the fourth bowler, which gives me a chance to step back a bit. That’s the planning at the moment and hopefully I make it very difficult for them to move me back to number seven. I’m 27 now and I really want to put my best foot forward,” Mulder said.

Helping the Central Gauteng Lions star produce his best in Zimbabwe will be stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj, who Mulder says has been a tremendous inspiration for him in his Proteas career.

“Keshav is someone I have really looked up to, since the beginning of my career. Before my first first-class game, he messaged me to congratulate me. He didn’t know me at all, but he reached out and that says it all about him as a person, I so admire him.

“He’s probably our best spinner ever, he knows exactly where each ball needs to go, he’s very calculating and he’s very caring. He’s been my captain at Durban Super Giants and his understanding of the game is very good.

“I tended to focus too much on what was happening in my head, but Keshav has been able to get me more in a routine and doing the things that give you success over a long period.

“I think he’ll be very proud captaining South Africa in a Test match for the first time, it’s been one of his aspirations because it’s the pinnacle of the game. I think he’s going to be a great captain and maybe it will open a door for him because who knows how long Temba Bavuma is going to be around?” Mulder said.

Luus excited about new energy Mashimbyi brings after a terrible time for her 0

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Ken

Sune Luus says she has regained her old energy with her strong recent form and the appointment of Mandla Mashimbyi as the new Proteas women’s coach. Photo: Mark Metcalfe (Getty Images)

A few years ago, Proteas all-rounder Sune Luus was in the throes of a terrible time in her career, battling a loss of form and confidence, as well as injury. But now the Pretoria-born star says she is rejuvenated and looking forward to a bright new future with the South African women’s team having a new coach in Mandla Mashimbyi.

Between the summers of 2020 and 2021, Luus scored just 108 runs in eight ODI innings, and in eight T20 knocks in 2021 and 2022, she scored just 88 runs. The leg-spinner also struggled with the ball: In T20s between 2021 and 2023, she bowled just 20 overs, conceding 159 runs and taking only two wickets. From 2023 to the winter of 2024, she did not bowl at all in ODIs.

But her best form has returned as she scored 65 and an epic 109 in the one-off Test against India last year in Chennai and was the dominant batter in one-day cricket in the last domestic season, scoring 359 runs in six innings, at an average of 119, for the Titans. She has also regained confidence in her bowing by switching to off-spin and the 29-year-old was her team’s most economical bowler in the T20 competition.

“You’re always going to get ups-and-downs in your career and it was a tough time. I kinda came to the end of my bowling leg-spin, and it was always very important to me to be able to contribute in all three departments.

“We now have a new national coach in Mandla and he has slotted right in and brought a new energy. I really enjoy that because the way I specifically play my game, I like to play with energy and feed off the youngsters.

“Now that I’m in my 14th year of international cricket, I’m playing with confidence again. I’m not going to be training as much, for me it’s about keeping in touch with my game and fine-tuning it. You need to back your skills. And when any of the youngsters come to me, hopefully I can add some of that confidence and mental strength to their games,” Luus told kenborland.com in an exclusive interview after she won the Titans Player of the Year award in Centurion.

While the South African women’s team has become much more of a force in world cricket since Luus started playing for the Proteas in 2012, they have not yet been able to win an ICC global event.

They reached the finals of both the 2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups, but lost to Australia and New Zealand respectively. In 2017 they reached the semifinals of the 50-over World Cup for the first time since 2000, and made the last four again in 2022.

“Obviously winning finals is now the next step we want to take as a team in this new era,” Luus said. “We’ve managed to get over our semifinals thing, but fallen short in two finals now. So we’ve managed to get stronger in winning semifinals, and now that we’ve been there in two finals, hopefully we can now win one of those too.

“I believe Mandla will help us get to that next level, winning trophies was one of his strengths when he was the coach of the Titans men’s team. The first T20 final we were in, it was kinda a case of just being chuffed to be there, but the second one we were really gunning for the win, but unfortunately New Zealand were just stronger than us on the day.

“We’ve never made the 50-over World Cup final and it’s now time to rectify that when the next tournament starts in September,” Luus said.

Mulder says he’s freed from his cell of self-imposed pressure & doubt 0

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Ken

The cricket season just past has seen Wiaan Mulder freed from his cell of self-imposed pressure and doubt, and the Central Gauteng Lions all-rounder’s reward has been a return to the Proteas T20 squad, albeit for the warm-up series against the West Indies in Jamaica at the end of this month and not the World Cup.

The Lions were the outstanding domestic team of the summer, winning both the four-day competition and the CSA T20 Challenge that ended last weekend in a final at the Wanderers, with the Gautengers easing past the KZN Dolphins by seven wickets with 14 balls to spare.

Mulder was at the forefront of that successful chase, blazing his way to a ferocious 55 not out off just 26 balls, with four sixes. It capped a superb tournament for the 26-year-old, who scored 248 runs at an average of 35.42 and a strike-rate of 139.32. Mulder also took 11 wickets and conceded just 7.10 runs-per-over, making him the only player to appear in the top-20 of both the batting and bowling averages.

It followed his destructive performances in the SA20 league, where he scored 297 runs at an average of 37.13 and a strike-rate of 157.14 for Durban Super Giants.

In the Lions’ triumphant four-day campaign, Mulder was their leading run-scorer with 549 at 54.90, which included a couple of centuries. He also claimed 16 wickets at an average of 26.50.

Little wonder then that the Proteas have come calling again. He played in the ODI series against India last December, but Mulder is set to play his first T20 international since September 2021 in Sri Lanka.

But in a candid interview before his selection was announced this week, Mulder admitted that he had not made the most of his previous Proteas call-ups.

“The biggest thing for me at international level is mental. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself, which is made worse when you think every game could be my last,” Mulder said after the Lions’ T20 triumph.

“I do my best when I am just given the freedom to go out and play; unfortunately I’m an over-thinker and then I try too hard and get a bit down on myself. I’ve done relatively well with the ball for the Proteas, but I haven’t really shown what I can do with the bat. But maybe my time will come in the next couple of years,” Mulder said.

The all-rounder’s mantle is a tough one to bear in South African cricket because we have been blessed with arguably the greatest of them all – Jacques Kallis – as well as a succession of legends who could both win matches with the bat and double as a proper fast bowler: Mike Procter, Clive Rice, Kallis, Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock have spoilt us.

Mulder does not bowl express pace, but he is a very handy practitioner who can fulfil a variety of roles. The St Stithians product says the presence of another great – Allan Donald – on the Lions coaching staff has helped him enormously in terms of growing his skills and even becoming a little quicker.

“Allan Donald has been massive for us and for me personally. I’ve been working with him to get more energy behind the ball, being able to bowl back-of-the-hand deliveries. It’s difficult bowling in the powerplay at the Wanderers, the ball really flies here, so I’ve had to up-skill a lot.

“I feel like I’m bowling well and it’s nice to be consistently bowling. Not bowling five matches in a row in the SA20 gets a little frustrating,” Mulder said.

The up-skilling Mulder has done on his batting will also hopefully pay off at international level.

“Russell Domingo [head coach] said there were certain things that have to get better in our game and there was an expectation to up-skill. There was a lot of hard work in the transition period after he became coach.

“And you could see when Reeza Hendricks and I were batting together in the final, we made sure the required rate never ran away from us even though we weren’t hitting boundaries. We were getting the ones and twos and making sure there were no dot-balls,” Mulder said.

Pretorius injury robs Proteas of reliable death bowler 0

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Ken

All-rounder Dwaine Pretorius, whose clever bowling has been reliable for the Proteas at the death, has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a fractured thumb, Cricket South Africa announced on Thursday.

Pretorius is believed to have suffered the injury when he dropped a relatively straightforward catch at midwicket in the final T20 against India earlier this week. CSA chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra has confirmed that the fracture, in his left thumb, will require surgery, and the 33-year-old has returned to South Africa for the operation.

Marco Jansen, the young all-rounder who has produced inspired performances at Test level, will replace Pretorius in the Proteas ODI squad that began a three-match series against India in Lucknow on Thursday, but the selectors are still mulling who will be the replacement in the actual World Cup squad.

The tall left-armer Jansen would add some menace and variety to the attack in Australia, but there are the death-bowling skills to consider as well, and Andile Phehlukwayo could get the nod as a more like-for-like replacement.

Both Phehlukwayo and Jansen were named as travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup.

The absence of Pretorius will rob the Proteas of another experienced campaigner, following Rassie van der Dussen’s withdrawal after breaking a finger in England.

Left-arm paceman Wayne Parnell is the other bowling all-rounder in the squad and, if there is swing about, he can be a dangerous wicket-taker, as well as usually having good skills at the death.

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    Galatians 5:25 – “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep walking in step with the Spirit.”

    There is only one Christ and all things that are preached in his name must conform to his character. We can only know Christ’s character through an intimate and personal relationship with him.

    How would Christ respond in situations in which you find yourself? Would he be underhanded? Would he be unforgiving and cause broken relationships?

    “The value of your faith and the depth of your spiritual experience can only be measured by their practical application in your daily life. You can spend hours at mass crusades; have the ability to pray in public; quote endlessly from the Word; but if you have not had a personal encounter with the living Christ your outward acts count for nothing.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm

     

     



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