“I should have gone for it”- Wiaan Mulder reveals words by Brian Lara after his record 367*

Mulder made the highest score for a batter on Test captaincy debut.

South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder rewrote history books as he slammed 367* in the second Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. This is the highest score by a batter on captaincy debut in Test cricket, as Mulder was making his captaincy debut for South Africa.

He hammered 49 fours and 4 sixes in his 334-ball knock and came very close to breaking Brian Lara’s record of 400*. He already broke the South African record for highest Test score, going past Hashim Amla’s 311* against England.

However, shocking everyone, Mulder decided to declare the South African innings at 626/5 at lunch, with him on 367*.

“I thought we had enough and we needed to bowl. Secondly, Brian Lara is a legend. For someone of that stature to keep that record is deserved. If I get the chance to do it again, I’d do it the same way. I spoke to Shuks (Shukri Conrad), and he felt the same way. Brian Lara is a legend, and he deserves to keep that record," Mulder had said after the day’s play.

This is the fifth-highest individual score in Tests behind Lara (400), Matthew Hayden (380), Brian Lara (375), and Mahela Jayawardene (374).

Later, Mulder revealed that he had a chat with West Indies legend Brian Lara, and they spoke about him nearly breaking his record. And Mulder stated that Lara said that he should’ve gone for it.

“Now that things have settled a little bit, I’ve chatted a little bit to Brian Lara. 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 that if I’m ever in that position again, I actually go and score more than what he had.

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 told SuperSport.

Chris Gayle expressed dissatisfaction with Mulder's choice, claiming that by not pursuing the record, Mulder "panicked and blundered."

“If I could get the chance to get 400, I would get 400. That doesn’t happen often. You don’t know when you’re going to get to a triple century again. Any time you get a chance like that, you try and make the best out of it.

But he was so generous and said he wanted the record to stay with Brian Lara. Maybe he panicked; he didn’t know what to do in that situation. Come on, you’re on 367, automatically you have to take a chance at the record. If you want to be a legend, how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend," Gayle told talkSPORT.

South Africa went on to win the Test by an innings and 236 runs as Zimbabwe managed 170 and 220 in return.