"He told me.." Wiaan Mulder reveals Brian Lara's words to him on missing out on his 400* test record

Wiaan Mulder slammed 367* with 49 fours and four sixes against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo.

When South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder hammered 367* against Zimbabwe in the second test match in Bulawayo, he changed the course of history. Mulder was making his debut as South Africa’s test captain in the game, and set a record for highest score by a batter on test captaincy debut.

He nearly broke Brian Lara’s record of 400* with his 334-ball knock, which included 49 fours and four sixes.  He has now surpassed Hashim Amla’s 311* against England to break the South African record for the highest test score.

At lunch on day two of the game, Mulder shocked everyone by declaring the South African innings at 626/5, with him on 367*. He was just 34 runs away from breaking Brian Lara’s all-time record of 400*, which is the highest individual score in test cricket.

“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.

367* by Mulder is the fifth-highest individual score in test cricket behind Lara (400), Matthew Hayden (380), Lara (375), and Mahela Jayawardene (374).

“Lara told me that I should have gone for it”- Wiaan Mulder on chat with West Indian great

Mulder later disclosed that he had discussed his near-breaking record with the West Indies legend Brian Lara. Mulder added that Lara had advised him to pursue 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.

Mulder’s 367* is the third highest score by a captain in tests, behind Lara’s 400* and Jayawardene’s 374. Earlier, ex-West Indies batter Chris Gayle also slammed Mulder for not going after Lara’s 400* record. He said the South African acting captain “maybe panicked” and made an “error” by not chasing the “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

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