Mulder (26) is arguably in his best form for the Proteas at the moment with both bat and ball and he has made an impact in the West Indies, as well as the current Test tour to Bangladesh.

Four years ago, Mulder faced the prospect of never bowling again because of back and hip problems.

The Lions player said it had been all blood, sweat, and tears over the past four years. “I think it will be something that’s there for the rest of my life, to be honest,” said the in-form allrounder.

‘Certain movements are just going to be tricky for me’

“I was 22 at the time, I can’t even exactly remember my age when they told me I’ve got a good chance to never bowl again.

“But it’s been consistent hard work to try and limit exercises, limit things that could hurt my hips because I’ve got cams on both sides and the labarum tears and all that stuff. So, certain movements are just going to be tricky for me and that could risk inflammation in the body. I just have to try and stay away from that as long as I can.”

Mulder added that as he gets older it will be important to become smarter when it comes to managing his body, especially as bowling does take a huge total on seam bowlers, in particular.

“At the moment, I’m 26 and everyone calls me an old man because I walk around with a little bit of a limp, but that’s been me since I was 14 or 15 years old,” Mulder added.

“That’s never going to change, it’s not that I’m injured or anything like that, it’s just simply because I’ve got cams and I have to manage it as well as I can. Thus far, there are days when it’s inflamed and there are days my back is sore. 

‘It’s just something I’m going to manage as long as I can’

“There’s nobody that goes through a four-day game without a bit of pain. It’s just something I’m going to manage as long as I can. But I think in the future, I need to be a little bit smarter in how much cricket I play, especially when I get over 30.

“The other guys are older than 30, they’re always complaining about recovery taking a bit longer and all that type of stuff. So I think I’ll just have to keep progressing and getting smarter. I think I should take breaks to put in proper conditioning and stay strong. But thus far, things are okay, and hopefully, they stay this way.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Bangladesh and the Proteas will square off in the second and final Test.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg