Not so long ago, Wiaan Mulder was on the verge of breaking Brian Lara’s record when he was batting on 367* against Zimbabwe in the recently concluded Test series. It was long ago that cricket used to be a gentleman’s game; however, Mulder still proved it by declaring the innings where he could have easily broken the record of the cricket legend — Lara. Mind you, he was just 33 runs short of achieving that historic feat. But as Temba Bavuma says, South Africa’s culture is to build great characters in cricket, and Mulder is the latest example of this.
In his recent interview with StarSports, the South African star, Mulder revealed the conversation he had with Lara and revealed that Lara said him “he should have went for that record”
“Now that things have settled a little bit, I’ve chatted a little bit to Brian Lara,” Mulder told SuperSport. “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 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.”
After declaring the innings at 367, Mulder had said “Lara keeping the record is exactly the way it should be”
“Well, first things first, I thought we’ve got enough, we need to bowl. And secondly, Brian Lara is a legend, let’s be real,” Mulder told Shaun Pollock during the post-day interview with SuperSport. “He got 401 [400*] or whatever it was against England. And for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special. I think if I get the chance again, I’d probably do the same thing. I know I was speaking to Shuks
“He kind of said to me as well, like ‘listen, let the legends keep the really big scores’. You never know what’s my fate or whatever you want to call it, what’s destined for me. But I think Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be.”
Mulder’s 367 not out is South Africa’s highest individual score and the fifth-highest total. South Africa went on to win the Test inside three days, by an innings and 236 runs.
However, his idea to keep Lara’s record intact was met by criticism as well, especially by the former West Indian player, Chris Gayle.
Earlier this week, Chris Gayle told talkSPORT that Mulder “maybe panicked” and made an “error” by 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. If you want to be a legend … how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend.”
