Wiaan Mulder scripts history, becomes first South African and overall third batter to hit double hundred on test captaincy debut

Wiaan Mulder is the stand-in skipper of South Africa in the match.

The second test between Zimbabwe Cricket Team and South Africa Cricket Team got underway on Sunday, 6th July at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. The Proteas stand-in skipper Wiaan Mulder scripted history by smacking a double century in first innings of the game.

Notably, Keshav Maharaj was appointed as the skipper for the series after Temba Bavuma’s ouster due to a hamstring injury. However, Maharaj suffered an injury in the first test and was ruled out of the series. Later, Mulder was appointed as the skipper for the second test.

Mulder took charge as captain of the side in tests for the first time and announced his arrival with a marvellous batting show. With his double century in the encounter, he became the first South African player to score a double century on his captaincy debut.

Prior to Mulder, only two players had achieved this feat in test cricket. Former New Zealand player Graham Dowling and former West Indies cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul were the first two cricketers to score double hundred on test captaincy debut.

Players to score a double century on test captaincy debut

1. Graham Dowling (239)2. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (203*)3. Wiaan Mulder 264*

Wiaan Mulder powers South Africa to a mammoth total in first innings

Speaking about the match, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl first. South Africa lost both their openers Tony de Zorzi (10) and Lesego Senokwane (3) early. However, Mulder’s double ton helped the Proteas cross 400 runs in the first innings. They finished at 465/4 at stumps on day 1.

David Bedingham (82) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (78) also played brilliant knocks for the Proteas. South Africa lead the two-match test series 1-0 as they won the first test by 328 runs. The Zimbabwe vs South Africa test series is not part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27.

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