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Cricket PlayersWiaan Mulder spoke to Brian Lara after giving 400 a miss, WI legend told him 'if you're ever in this position again...'
Wiaan Mulder revealed that he spoke to Brian Lara, the former West Indies captain, who told him that he should have tried to break his record in Bulawayo.
South Africa's stand-in captain, Wiaan Mulder, stood on the cusp of history at the lunch break on Day 2 of the second Test against Zimbabwe. He could have become just the second batter in the history of the game to score 400 in a single Test innings. He had the chance of surpassing Brian Lara to register the highest individual score in Test cricket. However, it was not to be as he chose to declare the innings when he was batting on 367 not out.
The choice to declare at 626/5 polarised several fans and cricket pundits alike. Chris Gayle and Ben Stokes have already said that Mulder will not get another opportunity to break the record and score 400.
Days after the conclusion of the second Test against Zimbabwe, Wiaan Mulder has revealed that he spoke to Brian Lara, and the former West Indies captain told him that he should have tried to break the record in Bulawayo.
“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,” Mulder told SuperSport.
“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,” he added.
Earlier, after declaring the innings, Mulder said that Brian Lara, a legend of the game, deserves to keep the record. He also stated that he spoke to the South African head coach and told him how he should declare the innings and let Lara keep the record.
During his knock of 367 not out, Wiaan Mulder registered the highest individual score for South Africa. He is now in the fifth spot on the list of the highest individual scores in Test cricket.
South Africa eventually went on to win the Test against Zimbabwe inside three days, by an innings and 236 runs.
Gayle slams Mulder's call
Earlier this week, former West Indies batter Chris Gayle slammed Wiaan Mulder's call of not going for 40, saying he "panicked" and "made an error" by declaring the innings and not chasing the "once in a lifetime opportunity".
"If I could get the chance to get 400, I would get 400," Gayle said. "That doesn't happen often. You don't know when you're going to get to a triple-century again. Any time you get a chance like that, you try and make the best out of it," Gayle told TalkSport.
"If you want to be a legend ... how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend," he added.
