Wiaan Mulder was on the brink of something monumental in Bulawayo. At lunch on Day 2, the South Africa stand-in captain stood unbeaten on 367. The scoreboard read 626/5, Zimbabwe were on the ropes, and cricketing history was within reach. The entire cricketing fraternity waited with bated breath. The untouched Brian Lara’s record of 400 runs in an innings was about to be breached. Yet, when the players emerged after the interval, Mulder was not one of them. Instead, he had declared.
That decision surprised many. A mere 34 runs separated Mulder from Brian Lara’s all-time Test record of 400 not out, set in 2004. Given how effortlessly Mulder had dominated the Zimbabwe bowling attack, the milestone seemed inevitable. But he chose otherwise.
Why did Wiaan Mulder declare at 367*?
Speaking to Shaun Pollock after stumps, Mulder explained the moment. “You never know what is destined for me, but Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be,” he said. “I thought we got enough from the new-ball and secondly, Brian Lara is a legend.”
“He got 400 against England—for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special.” For Mulder, the record belonged to a legend and perhaps always should.
The South Africa all-rounder’s gesture wasn’t just personal. It was also influenced by his coach, Shukri Conrad, who subtly urged restraint. “Speaking to Shuks, he kind of said to me, ‘alright listen, let the legends keep the really big scores,’” Mulder shared.
It’s rare in modern cricket to see personal milestones set aside so gracefully, especially when a global record is within touching distance. But Mulder, captaining his country for the first time, wasn’t having it. There was a match to win and a series to seal, and while his 367* will go down as one of the most dominant knocks in recent memory, he chose to leave Lara’s legacy untouched.
South Africa later bowled out Zimbabwe for 170 and enforced the follow-on, putting themselves on course for another commanding victory. While one can argue that Mulder could’ve easily continued to bat, considering South Africa made 626 after batting just four sessions. But the 27-year-old made up his mind to keep the record intact against Lara’s name.
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