Brian Lara disagrees with Wiaan Mulder's decision, urges him to chase 400 if given another chance

India.com

12-07-2025

Wiaan Mulder.
New Delhi: Wiaan Mulder, the stand-in skipper of South Africa was on the cusp of making history when South Africa went into lunch on Day 2 of the second Test match against Zimbabwe. He was on the edge of achieving a feat that only one other batter has ever accomplished in their career a total of 400 runs in a single Test innings and a chance of surpassing the record of Brian Lara in history. However, Mulder chose to declare the innings unbeaten on 367, rather than having a chance of achieving the milestone.
The decision to declare at 626/5 has elicited a mixed reaction by the fans and cricket gurus. Chris Gayle and Ben Stokes added their say and they indicated that Wiaan Mulder might not get another opportunity to break the record and reach the illusive 400-run mark.
Days after the second Test in Zimbabwe, Wiaan Mulder revealed that he had talked to Brian Lara and Lara had said Mulder should have chased the record at Bulawayo. Mulder has also had his confidence boosted by the legendary West Indies captain, whose 400 not-out has stood the test of time as the highest individual score in Test history and who now urged Mulder to make use of opportunity he has.
'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,' Mulder told SuperSport.
'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,' he added.
Earlier, Wiaan Mulder having decided to declare the innings had claimed that Brian Lara who is a legend of the game, had to keep the record. He also added that he had talked to the head coach of South Africa where he said he wanted to declare and leave the historic record of Lara to stand.
The unbeaten 367 by Wiaan Mulder was a personal best and a new record of the highest individual score made by a South African in Tests. His record setting innings is now fifth on the all-time list of highest individual runs in Test history.