Exclusive: Lance Klusener Talks Wiaan Mulder's Rise, Proteas’ India Challenge, and World Test Championship Ambitions

Former South Africa all-rounder and now Lucknow Super Giants Assistant coach in the Indian Premier League, Lance Klusener, spoke about the development of South Africa's current standout all-rounder in Wiaan Mulder, the key to success for the Proteas in their upcoming Test tour of India and the World Test Championship at Lord's in June in an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za

The all-rounders lineage

South Africa's heritage of all-rounders is probably the best the world has ever seen, with the likes of Klusener and the best of them all, Jacques Kallis, the first names that come to mind.

Klusener, in his almost decade-long international career, displayed great all-round ability with his Player of the series performances during the 1999 World Cup, his career highlight, where he averaged 140 with the bat and 20 with the ball.

Kallis, on the other hand, is widely regarded as the best ever cricketer to walk the earth with over 13,000 Test runs and over 300 Test wickets to his name.

Currently, South Africa has Wiaan Mulder playing the all-rounder role. Though Mulder is not close to Klusener and Kallis yet, the 27-year-old has grown in leaps and bounds in his career.

Having had a rocky start to his international career, where he failed to meet expectations, this past season, Mulder has proved that he has the potential to be one of the best all-rounders in the world.

The right-handed batter scored his maiden Test century in Bangladesh and played a key role in the Proteas' bowling attack throughout the season to help the side reach the World Test Championship final.

Klusener reckons that the backing that Mulder receives under coach Test Shukri Conrad and captain Temba Bavuma has largely been the reason behind his recent rise in Test cricket.

"Mulder, I think he's been part of the glue that has allowed Shukri to build a team around, with Wiaan being that glue between the batters and the bowlers. I think Wiaan's growth came in County cricket, where he played at Northampton. I think that's stood him in good stead," Klusener told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

"He's been able to have a little bit more game time in four-day cricket and work out his own game. He's brought that to the Proteas set-up, and credit to the national team for picking him consistently. I think as an all-rounder, you're not going to get it right all the time."

"But if you know you've got the backing of the captain and the selectors, it allows you to go out there and just give it a full go with bat and ball. For me, that has led to his growth. He's grown a lot in white ball cricket as well. Also, I think he's gotten a lot of game time in the English league."

"Since he's got back from playing there, his game's come on in leaps and bounds. Now, his challenge is just to manage himself, manage his body. But I'm looking forward to even greater things from Wiaan as he starts to work his game out more."

Winning Tests in India

Klusener was in the Proteas Test side that won the country's first ever series in India when the Hansie Cronje-led side beat India 2-0 in a two-match series in India.

With South Africa set to tour India later this year for two Tests, Klusener emphasised the importance of playing spin well.

The 53-year-old highlighted that South Africa stands a better chance with a bowling attack that features a fit Anrich Nortje.

"I think just countering the weather and the conditions, it can be hot and dry. The surface can be a bit dry, so playing spin becomes something that's extremely important when you come to India," said Klusener.

"The Test team is starting to look like it's got a bit of consistency in their selection, got some good spinners of their own. So, it's not the be-all and end-all of winning a Test series in India as spin bowling, but it goes a long way. I think in Kagiso Rabada, for example, we've got a world-class bowler there as well."

"If we can have (Anrich) Nortje fit, that'll be awesome. You throw Mulder in there, and it's two spinners and three seamers. It's a good attack that bats deep. I think it's the conditions, it's about making peace with the conditions in India and not fighting them, as I think teams in the past have tried to do."

"From a batting point of view, the question is, how can you consistently score 400 runs? That's countering some good fast bowling, but a lot of it is how we play spin."

"Does our attack have the ability to take 10 wickets during a Test match, or 20 wickets, I guess, on those surfaces? It's a challenge, but making peace with the conditions, whether you bat or bowl, is giving it a full crack."

The WTC Final

Klusener lauded Test coach Conrad for making the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June, where South Africa will take on Australia for the best Test team in the world status.

"The Proteas making the Test Finals is an outstanding achievement. Some will argue they had a bit of an easy way in, not having played some of the other major Test-playing nations," said Klusener.

"But that was not a, that was just a card dealt to them and all credit to Shukri and the boys for getting there. What they've done well is that they've started to have a little bit of consistency. They've started to have a few established batters, bowling.  I think we're all looking forward to the game at Lord's."