Leicestershire sign South African allrounder Wiaan Mulder as overseas player

The 22-year-old South Africa international has signed a deal to play in the County Championship and Royal London Cup

South African allrounder Wiaan Mulder has joined Leicestershire as an overseas player for the 2021 season.

The 22-year-old, whose last international action came in a Test victory over Sri Lanka in January, has signed a deal to play in the County Championship and Royal London Cup.

The move marks Mulder’s second stint in county cricket, having spent a short time with Kent. His spell at Canterbury was cut short, however, when he was called up to join his national squad ahead of a tour to India.

He took nine wickets against Sri Lanka in the recent series, including a spell of 3 for 1 on the opening day of the second Test. While he has impressed mainly with the ball for the Proteas, he has five centuries at first-class level, with an average of 38.73.

Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon said: “Wiaan is a top-class allrounder who we have kept an eye on for several months. He has recently returned to the international scene and we are delighted to have Wiaan sign for us.

^{Leicestershire reached the quarter-finals of last year's T20 Blast, only to miss out on Finals Day in dramatic circumstances against Nottinghamshire}

“Wiaan is a player who is comfortable batting in the top six and is a first-change bowler at the very highest level. He is highly experienced for a young player and will add a huge amount to our group.

“I have spoken to many people about Wiaan and everybody has good things to say about how he goes about his work. Wiaan is a match-winner who is very rarely out of the game with his all-round abilities.”

Mulder’s addition follows a trio of domestic signings, with Essex batsman Rishi Patel, Durham’s Scott Steel and Yorkshire seamer Ed Barnes all joining the county.

Janneman Malan, a compatriot of Mulder, had been due to sign for the county as their 2020 overseas player, only for that deal to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.