Century Caps Wonderful Week For Wiaan

Walking out to the middle at 65 for four, having seen four wickets go down for just nine runs, the weight of the game was on Wiaan Mulder’s shoulders.

Scratching around for early season runs, the South African was desperate to show the form which earned him the Club’s ‘Cricketer of the Year’ award in 2022. Five hours, 167 balls, and crucially, 102 unbeaten runs later, it was mission accomplished.

A century decorated with defiant defence and enterprising attack, Mulder’s first ton of the summer was a paragon of perfection. Married with his five-fer in the Sussex innings, his second in as many games, it was a timely return to top gear and vindication for the pre-game decision to present the 25-year-old with his prestigious ‘Gold Fox’ cap.

Following the lengthy rain delays on Thursday, the squad gathered pitchside to induct the all-rounder into an exclusive club, with Head Coach Paul Nixon leading the recognition for his outstanding contributions to the side both on and off the field during 2022.

Finishing as the leading run-scorer for the Foxes in both the County Championship and Royal London Cup, Mulder endeared himself to the Grace Road faithful in emphatic fashion, taking home an unprecedented six awards at the Club’s end of season dinner, as well as the PCA’s MVP award for the Royal London Cup.

It followed a copious run-scoring summer, clocking 533 at 88.83 in the RL50 and 689 at 49.21, including a new career-best 235*, in the Championship. At times, he shouldered the hopes of the team, leading the way in losing causes, as well as winning ones “ with outstanding knocks against Middlesex, Notts and Kent in the RL50 evidence of his herculean prowess.

Mulder added 33 wickets to his abundance of runs and has already made inroads on bettering that total this time around. Since his return to bowling following a side issue, he’s taken back-to-back five-wicket hauls, removing stars such as Steve Smith en route to his latest feat. His century the day after placed him as just the 13^th player in the Club’s history to take a five-fer and score a hundred in the same match.

Not content with excelling with just bat and ball, Mulder has also shown his worth in the field. As well as being a reliable slip catcher in longer-form cricket, the South African equalled a Leicestershire record in T20 cricket at Trent Bridge last summer when he held four catches in the Foxes’ 47-run victory over arch-rivals Notts Outlaws.

Such returns in all disciplines merited the award of a new two-year contract in November, and justified the persistence in chasing the Gauteng-born star’s signature. Mulder was due to join the county in 2021, but increased international commitments led to a late cancellation of the deal. The Foxes’ hierarchy will be infinitely glad they persevered.

Now, with a return to form and a new cap to proudly don as he enters for the field in all three formats this summer, Mulder will hoping to add team silverware to his growing cabinet of individual accolades.