Mulder wants to make No.3 spot his own for South Africa
Wiaan Mulder made a decent impression when batting at first drop in the ICC World Test Championship Final and wants to make the spot his own going forward.
Mulder contributed scores of six and 27 during the Ultimate Test at Lord's, with the 27-year-old's partnership of 61 with centurion Aiden Markram on the third day of the contest a pivotal moment in the Proteas' five-wicket victory over Australia.
It was just the fourth time that Mulder had batted at No.3 for South Africa at Test level, and the talented all-rounder is keen to cement that spot in the Proteas' line-up.
"To be honest, I loved it (batting at three) in this Test. I'm a bad watcher, especially knowing I'm going in next to bat, I get so nervous, and I think everyone really does,” Mulder told ICC Digital.
"If they say they don't, I think they're lying, to be honest. There are a lot of things that go through your head when you're watching when you're batting at three, you have to be switched on pretty much from the first ball.
“I didn't mind that and I really enjoyed it. And I really hope that Shuks (South Africa coach Shukri Conrad) sees me there going forward in that position as I think I can have a big impact."
The No.3 position in the Proteas' batting group is one spot that hasn't been locked in during recent times, with Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, and Tristan Stubbs among the players to have been utilised in the crucial batting slot across South Africa's run to the Lord's finale.
But if Mulder does bat at No.3 going forward, then it allows the Proteas the luxury of being able to select three first-choice seamers and experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj in the same side.
"I think it balances our team well," Mulder noted.
"If you look at the combinations we can play, we can play Kesh up anywhere we go if I bat at three, because I can be the fourth seamer and Kesh will be your spinner pretty much anywhere in the world.
"And I think that makes us quite versatile in so many different conditions and if I can get some runs there it would mean a lot.
"To be able to get a bit more responsibility with the bat just suits my character a bit more and that opportunity to bat at three just gives me that opportunity to always have an impact on the game somewhere along the line."
Mulder won't have to wait long to get his next chance at No.3, with the Proteas scheduled to play two Tests against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in the coming weeks where a trio of first-choice batters in Markram, Rickelton and Stubbs have all been rested.
It means Mulder will almost certainly get the opportunity to make that spot his own and he can't wait to get back out in the middle.
"I haven't batted a lot at three, so it's another opportunity to learn and try and get some runs and have an impact on the game," Mulder added.
"It's going to be a little bit different mentally to this (WTC Final) Test and the preparation to this Test, because we were playing against the Aussies in probably the biggest Test I'll ever play in.
"So to get up for it is going to be a different challenge, but I love the game, so I just want to play and when I spoke to Shooks about it, I said, 'please don't even consider not playing me'."
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