Bavuma Backs Mulder For WTC Final Vs Australia: '..In A Pressure Situation'
South Africa Temba Bavuma acknowledged Wiaan Mulder's inexperience at number three but backs him to play his natural game.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma acknowledged that all-rounder Wiaan Mulder lacks experience at the top of the batting order after selecting him to bat at number three against Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's.
Mulder has only batted twice at number three in Test matches, scoring 15 against Sri Lanka in November and five against Pakistan in January. He is now preparing to face a formidable Australian attack featuring Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
South Africa has impressive batting depth. Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, who has hit four Test centuries, has moved down to number seven, followed by Marco Jansen, who is both a useful batsman and a dangerous bowler.
Bavuma acknowledged that the 27-year-old Mulder was 'quite young in the position" of number three. However, the skipper told reporters at Lord's on the eve of the WTC final that Mulder 'has grown in the last two years in the red-ball format".
'It is about giving him a lot more confidence and allowing him to do what he does best," he said. 'He has an opportunity in a pressure situation and he can take comfort in the fact that the guys are backing him and we just want him to go out and play his natural game."
Mulder failed to score a half-century in his first 24 Test innings before making 54 and 105 not out, batting lower down the order in successive Tests against Bangladesh last October.
Lungi Ngidi was chosen ahead of Dane Paterson, even though Paterson is more accustomed to the conditions at Lord's, having played English county cricket there for Middlesex this season.
Bavuma said it was a tough decision but believed the combination of Ngidi and the medium-paced Mulder would complement the strike power of Kagiso Rabada and Jansen.
Bavuma admitted South Africa had been outplayed during their tour of Australia in the 2022/23 series, which the home team won 2-0. However, that period was marked by turmoil in South Africa's Test setup following the resignation of coach Mark Boucher.
'It was a bit of an eye-opener, seeing how their batters went about their business and facing their bowlers and how you are always under pressure," Bavuma said.
He added that the series had given him the opportunity to reflect on his own game and that the current team, under coach Shukri Conrad, was better equipped to compete against the Australians.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Ritayan Basu
First Published:
June 10, 2025, 22:25 IST
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