In the sprawling cricketing savannah of southern Africa, a new lion has been handed the mane. Wiaan Mulder, the allrounder who swings a bat like a seasoned swordsman and steams in with the ball like a freight train on a mission, will stride out as captain for the first time in a first-class match when South Africa face Zimbabwe in the second Test in Bulawayo.
With the seasoned Keshav Maharaj side-lined by a groin strain, the Proteas’ compass points to a fresh leader, one whose boots are still dusted with the red earth of a heroic all-round performance.
If leadership were a currency, then Proteas coach Shukri Conrad is investing his richest notes in Mulder. “He’s on top of his game at the minute,” Conrad said with the calm conviction of a man reading form from tea leaves soaked in centuries and wickets.
“He captained in his youth days at South Africa Under-19. He’s shown some really good leadership qualities, and I think this is part of his journey where he’s starting to take more responsibility in the side, and we’ve seen him do a lot of that in the series thus far.”
Mulder’s performance in the first Test wasn’t just a statement; it was a symphony. A swashbuckling 147 in the second innings and a four-wicket haul in the first — the kind of dual assault that stirs echoes of legendary allrounders and leaves scorers scrambling to update the annals. Now, as he picks up the captain’s armband — like a warrior being handed the shield of command — the question isn’t whether he can handle the pressure. The question is how high he will soar with it strapped to his back.
“I think it will be great for Wiaan to grow into becoming a leader in this group. He’s got all the attributes, and I think the more responsibilities I give him, the better Wiaan reacts,” Conrad continued, praising the young lion’s hunger for responsibility.
“I think we’ll see increased and improved performances as well. He thrives in responsibility.”
Mulder is the type of player who doesn’t shrink from the spotlight but steps into it as if it were his natural habitat — much like a batsman walking into the swirl of an Eden Gardens crowd and silencing it with a square-drive. His brief stint captaining Leicestershire in the 2022 One Day Cup quarterfinal may not have come with fanfare, but it planted a seed. That seed has now burst through the cracked soil of Zimbabwe’s Test series into full bloom.
“We’ve got guys like Kyle Verreynne who captains Western Province as well, so there are a few candidates in that regard. But I just felt that it would be an opportune time to ride the confident mood that Wiaan’s in,” said Conrad.
“This might go a long way to freeing him up in a lot of ways. I’d like to think that he gets the feeling that we really back him, and if he hasn’t had that feeling before, this will be a real confirmation of that.”
Yet as one Protea blooms, another finds himself in a patch of shade. Tony de Zorzi, given a chance to cement himself atop the batting order in the absence of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton, has so far found the crease a cold and lonely place. A duck and 31 were his returns — the kind of scores that barely ruffle the scoreboard, let alone an opposition bowling attack.
“Tony would be slightly disappointed that in the second innings he didn’t really make it count. He’s desperate for a few runs, and that’s part of the journey,” Conrad said, giving the left-hander the sort of reassurance every opener longs for when the edge finds the slips more often than the sweet spot finds the fence.
“That’s part of the journey, especially as an opening batter. It’s never easy, and there was a little bit of spice in that wicket, so he had his work cut out there. It’s part of the journey, as I say, when a player struggles for runs and how they get back from that.”
Conrad’s repetition — “it’s part of the journey” — rings with empathy. It’s the mantra of a coach who’s watched the ebb and flow of careers rise like tidewater and vanish like smoke. De Zorzi’s bat may be silent for now, but the game has a way of repaying patience — like a stubborn pitch finally cracking open under a baking sun.
As for Maharaj, the stand-in skipper who stepped up when Bavuma pulled his hamstring in the World Test Championship final, his left-arm spin and sage-like calm will be missed. His match figures and half-century were carved like brushstrokes in a masterpiece before a groin strain brought his series to an early curtain call.
“He gave everything,” Conrad might well have said, had it been a valediction.
In his place, the Proteas have summoned Senuran Muthusamy to spin his left-arm web, while Lungi Ngidi has been released — a move suggesting that South Africa are happy with their current seam armoury.
For now, the Proteas march on into Bulawayo with a new commander at the helm. Wiaan Mulder stands ready — battle-hardened and brimming with belief. The air is thick with the scent of promise. A leader’s test is not only how he plays the game, but how he walks out into the storm, bat in hand, and dares it to rain.
The clouds are gathering. And Mulder — bold, balanced, and blooded — is about to find out what it truly means to lead the green and gold.
