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Cricket's spirit lives: Wiaan Mulder's humility reveres the game's legacy

Cricket's spirit lives: Wiaan Mulder's humility reveres the game's legacy

What South African Captain Wiaan Mulder did is out of character with the times, but it shows humility and reverence for the spirit of this great game
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Uddalok Bhattacharya New Delhi
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Cricket, a team game no doubt, has enormous scope for an individual outshining the rest. This characteristic of cricket, the preponderance of numbers speaking for players' performance, somewhat sets it apart from other team games. A cricketer's tour de force goes into record books in statistical hierarchy. And there is nothing unsportsmanlike in being ahead of others on any count. So had South African Captain Wiaan Mulder broken the great Brian Lara's record of the highest runs in a Test innings, no moral calumny would have fastened on him for doing it. Yet he declared the innings when he was
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Watch: Unbelievable! 41-year-old AB de Villiers battles hamstring injury to score 47-ball ton vs Pakistan in WCL 2025 final
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Watch: Unbelievable! 41-year-old AB de Villiers battles hamstring injury to score 47-ball ton vs Pakistan in WCL 2025 final

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AB de Villiers Ends Trophy Drought With Blazing 120* As South Africa Rout Pakistan In WCL Final 2025
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AB de Villiers Ends Trophy Drought With Blazing 120* As South Africa Rout Pakistan In WCL Final 2025

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