JOHANNESBURG – South African Test captain Wiaan Mulder has revealed that legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara encouraged him to chase history after he chose not to break Lara’s long-standing world record of 400 runs in a Test innings.
Mulder made headlines recently when he declared his innings on 367 runs against Zimbabwe, just 33 runs short of equalling Lara’s unbeaten 400 — the highest individual score in Test cricket.
Speaking about the moment, Mulder shared Lara’s reaction: “Brian Lara told me that I should’ve gone for it. He said records are meant to be broken, and if I ever get the chance again, I should score more than he did.”
While Lara’s words were supportive, Mulder stood by his decision, stating, “That was an interesting opinion from a great of the game but I believe I did the right thing. I have great respect for the spirit of the game, and that, to me, is more important than personal milestones,”.
The Proteas skipper’s decision to declare the innings was widely discussed among fans and pundits, with some applauding his team-first mindset and others expressing disappointment over the missed opportunity to make history.
Brian Lara’s iconic 400 not out, scored against England in Antigua in 2004, still remains the highest individual score in Test cricket — a record that has stood unchallenged for 21 years.
South Africa captain Mulder sets multiple records against Zimbabwe
