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Chris Gayle criticised Wiaan Mulder for declaring at 367, missing a chance to break Brian Lara’s 400 record. Gayle said Mulder “panicked and blundered,” missing a rare chance.
Wiaan Mulder becomes first player in the world to score 300 runs in first Test as captain. (Picture Credit: X/@ProteasMenCSA)
West Indies legend Chris Gayle criticised South Africa’s stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder for missing a rare chance to break Brian Lara’s Test record by not aiming for a score of 400. Mulder reached an unbeaten 367 at lunch on the second day of the Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, with Lara’s record within reach and South Africa firmly in control. However, Mulder chose to declare the Proteas’ first innings at 626/5, leaving Lara’s 400 not out as the highest score in Test cricket. He was just 34 runs away from setting a new world record when he declared the innings.
Explaining his decision, Mulder said, “You never know what is destined for me, but Brian Lara keeping that record (of the highest score in Tests) is exactly the way it should be. Brian Lara is a legend. He got 400 against England – for someone of that stature, to keep that record is pretty special.”
However, Gayle was displeased with Mulder’s decision, arguing that Mulder “panicked and blundered” by not chasing the record. “If I could get the chance to get 400, I would get 400. 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.
“But he was so generous and said he wanted the record to stay with Brian Lara. Maybe he panicked; he didn’t know what to do in that situation. Come on, you’re on 367, automatically you have to take a chance at the record. If you want to be a legend, how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend,” he said.
“I think it was an error from his part 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!
“It doesn’t matter the opponent, if you get 100 against any team, that’s a Test century. If you get a double or triple, 400, that’s Test cricket. That’s the ultimate game. He panicked, and he blundered, straight up,” Gayle added.
Mulder’s unbeaten 367 off 334 deliveries is the fifth-highest individual score in Test cricket history. The right-handed batter stands only behind Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden, and Mahela Jayawardena among the highest individual scorers in men’s Tests. His monumental innings, featuring 49 fours and four sixes, is the highest ever for the Proteas in Test cricket.
With IANS Inputs
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