South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder revealed he had a conversation with Brian Lara following his unexpected declaration at 367* during the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Mulder, who was on course to surpass Lara’s world record of 400*, shared that the West Indies legend had actually encouraged him to break the record.
At the time of the declaration, Wiaan Mulder remained unbeaten on 367 as South Africa reached 626/5 at lunch on Day 2. Despite being well-set and in control, the stand-in skipper chose to end the innings, leaving fans surprised and disappointed.
In a post-match chat with Supersport, the 27-year-old cricketer from Gauteng, as quoted by BBC Sport, spoke about his decision and the words exchanged with Brian Lara.
“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 if I’m ever in that position again I go and score more than what he had.”
The seam-bowling all-rounder indicated that he has no regrets about his decision and feels it was the right call, stating:
“It’s super special and not something I would have dreamt of. 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.”
Chris Gayle Calls Wiaan Mulder’s Decision A Mistake
Veteran West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle believed it was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime chance that the young player missed out on. Speaking to Talksport, as cited by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
“I think it was an error from his side, not to try and go to get it. We don’t know if he would go on and get it or not. But he declared on 367 and he said what he had to say. But listen, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get 400 runs in a Test match. Come on, youngster, you’ve blown it big time.”
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