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BULAWAYO: South Africa captain Wiaan Mulder has revealed the reason behind selflessly forgoing Brian Lara monumental batting record in the second Test against Zimbabwe.
Wiaan Mulder delivered a record-breaking performance in the ongoing South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test, smashing his maiden triple century and surpassing a long-standing record held by legendary Hashim Amla.
The right-handed batter scored 367* off 334 deliveries, peppered with 49 fours and four maximums. However, the all-rounder decided to declare the Proteas innings just when he was 33 runs short of Brian Lara’s 400* run world record.
While speaking at the end of the day’s play, the Proteas’ stand-in skipper, Wiaan Mulder, shared his thoughts after scoring a record-breaking knock for South Africa.
“To be honest, I have never even dreamt of getting a double hundred, let alone a triple hundred. Most importantly, it has put the team in a good position to win this Test,” he said.
Highest individual scores in Test cricket
400* – Brian Lara for West Indies v England, Antigua 2004
380 – Matthew Hayden for Australia v Zimbabwe, Perth 2003
375 – Brian Lara for West Indies v England, Antigua 1994
374 – Mahela Jayawardene for Sri Lanka v South Africa, Colombo 2006
367* – Wiaan Mulder for South Africa v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo 2025
“We had enough to bowl at. Brian Lara is a legend. He got 400 or 401 or something against England, and for someone to keep that record, it is special. I spoke to Shuks (Shukri Conrad) – and spoke about letting the legends keep (that record). Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be,” he added.
He also shed light on the learnings from some of the great players, noting that he was not good enough when he started playing cricket.
“When I started playing for South Africa, I was nowhere near good enough. Have had the opportunity to learn from some great players (past and present).”
“Going to England really gave me a chance to understand what kind of batter (I want to be) and figure out (my weaknesses). Lots of lessons (from my time in England). There were so many thoughts like you have got enough.”
Wiaan highlighted the moment he got bowled out on a no-ball while playing at 247 runs during the second South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test.
“When I got bowled on 247, a lapse of concentration, there was so much negative happening. But there was a lot of positive thinking happening as well. Just singing my song between balls, trying to keep myself natural and present, tried feeling my shoes to stay in the moment and not think too far ahead,” Wiaan concluded.
READ: Wiaan Mulder breaks Hashim Amla’s record with historic triple century
