South Africa’s captain Wiaan Mulder delivered a record-breaking performance on the opening day of the second Test against Zimbabwe as he became the highest-scoring captain in a first innings in the Test history.
Mulder remained unbeaten at 264 runs off 259 balls, showcasing an exceptional display of batting on Day 1.
He surpassed New Zealand’s Graham Dowling, who had scored 239 runs against India in Christchurch in 1968 — the previous highest by a captain in a first innings.
Additionally, Mulder now holds the record for the highest individual score by a batter against Zimbabwe in Tests, surpassing Gary Kirsten’s 220-run knock in Harare in 2001.
He also became the second-fastest South African to score a double century, reaching the milestone in just 214 deliveries.
Only Herschelle Gibbs has done it faster, scoring a double hundred off 211 balls against Pakistan in 2003.
During his marathon innings, Mulder smashed 34 fours and 3 sixes, the most boundaries hit by a South African batter in a single innings.
The record for most fours in an innings by a South African is held by former captain Graeme Smith, who struck 35 fours in his 277-run knock in 2003.
Mulder’s 264 is now the highest individual score by a South African batter in a single day of Test cricket, breaking Herschelle Gibbs’ previous record of 228 runs in a day against Pakistan in 2003.
Overall, in the list of most runs scored in a single day of Test cricket, Mulder now ranks sixth, with the legendary Don Bradman leading the chart with 309 runs in a single day against England at Leeds in 1930.
However, when it comes to runs scored on the first day of a Test match, Mulder’s 264 stands as the second-highest in history, just behind Bradman’s iconic triple century.
