Proteas have a new aura

THERE is a new aura in and around the Proteas camp and the players are loving it. 

A week after being crowned the best Test team in the world, Wiaan Mulder and his teammates are in Zimbabwe for two Tests matches against their hosts in Bulawayo - a far cry from the lavish life ICC events bring and playing the final against Australia at Lord’s. 

But whatever the venue, whatever the team - even if their star men aren’t there - Mulder says one thing remains true; they are still world champions and that counts for anyone pulling on the Proteas Test kit. 

Coach Shukri Conrad’s team has a vrag newcomers in the span who weren’t there when they won the mace, but Mulder said in an online interview yesterday: “The conversations we’ve had as a squad already, leans towards ‘doesn’t really matter what team is representing South Africa [on the day], that is the best team at the time’. 

“We look at ourselves as world champions. That’s the standard we set for ourselves - even at today’s training everybody has that in the back of the mind. We’re training as if we’re the best in the world. We compete in every practice…

“The standards that we set, doesn’t mean the guys coming in [for the players who are rested] are going to be at a lower standard, they are going to push the bar.”