South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder has opened up on a private chat with West Indies legend Brian Lara, revealing that the record-holder for the highest individual score in Test cricket actually wanted him to go after the milestone. Mulder, who chose to declare on 367* in the recent Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo—just 33 short of Lara’s iconic 400*—said the Caribbean great later told him he should have gone for it.
Why did Wiaan Mulder not go for 400?
Mulder’s innings, the second-highest Test score by a South African and one of the fastest triple centuries (297 balls) in history, came in just his first match as Test captain. But instead of chasing individual glory, he declared at lunch on Day 2 with South Africa at 626/5, a move that immediately bore fruit. The Proteas went on to dismiss Zimbabwe twice in 120 overs and seal an innings-and-236-run win.
A mere 33 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.
Speaking to Shaun Pollock after stumps, Mulder explained the moment on why he didn’t go for 400. “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.
However, in a candid revelation made later to SuperSport, Mulder said Lara himself offered a different perspective. “Now that things have settled a little bit, I’ve chatted a little bit to Brian Lara,” Mulder said. “He said to me I’m creating my own legacy and I should have gone for it. He said records are there to be broken and he wishes if I’m ever in that position again, I actually go and score more than what he had.”
Mulder called it “an interesting point of view” but stood by his original call. “That was an interesting point of view from his side, but I still believe I did the right thing and respecting the game is the most important part for me.”
Mulder’s decision has divided the cricketing world. While legends like Chris Gayle criticised him for “blowing a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” others respected the decision. At the end, what matters is how Mulder felt. Fascinatingly, he still backs his decision not to breach the mount 400.
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