Did Wiaan Mulder miss an elusive opportunity by declaring at 367? Chris Gayle opines

The stand-in captain for South Africa in the second Test against Zimbabwe, Wiaan Mulder, has divided the cricket fraternity. Leading the team in the absence of Keshav Maharaj, Mulder broke into the record books with his blinding knock in the opening innings. Batting at the Queens Club in Bulawayo, Mulder smashed a double ton on the opening day of the final Test against the home team. The skipper kept his charge up the next day, recording one of the fastest triple centuries in the history of red-ball cricket. Moreover, the all-rounder looked well on track to complete 400 runs, a record-breaking feat in Test cricket. However, staging a shocking decision, Mulder declared the innings shortly after lunch on Day 2, culminating his knock at 367 not out.

Chris Gayle says that Mulder panicked and made a blunder by declaring at 376

The bold decision of Wiaan Mulder to declare South Africa’s innings with an individual score of 367 not out has sent the fraternity into a frenzy. The all-rounder fell just 33 runs short of equalling Brian Lara who holds the all-time Test record of scoring 400*. The decision has sparked widespread debate across the cricketing community. The choice to step away from history in the second Test against Zimbabwe drew mixed reactions, with former West Indies skipper Chris Gayle among those questioning the call.

Mulder’s unbeaten 367 surpassed Hashim Amla’s 311* to become the highest individual score by a South African in Tests. The knock also placed him fifth on the list of highest scores in Test history. Moreover, it became the highest score ever recorded by a visiting batter, edging out Mark Taylor’s 334* in Pakistan. Mulder reached his triple ton in just 297 balls, the second-fastest in Test cricket, behind only Virender Sehwag’s 278-ball triple century in Chennai.

Chris Gayle, known for his own monumental triple centuries, a 333-run knock against Sri Lanka and 317 against South Africa, didn’t hold back. The Universe Boss felt that Mulder “panicked” and missed a golden opportunity, branding the move a “blunder” that denied fans a potential new world record. Though Mulder had a real chance to rewrite the record books and eclipse Lara’s iconic 400* set in 2004 against England, he chose to declare. He later said that such records should remain untouched out of respect for legends like Brian Lara. This reasoning drew as much attention as the declaration itself.

"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. 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," he added. 

The former Caribbean star, moreover, said he would have gone for the milestone, pointing out that chances like this are rare in the longest format. Reflecting on Mulder's stance of letting Lara keep the record, Gayle reiterated that the Protean made a significant blunder by declaring the innings and missing out on the elusive record.

"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. I think it was an error from his side, not to try and go to get it. Like I said, he panicked and he blundered, straight up," Gayle further added.

Leading South Africa for the first time, Mulder capped off an extraordinary performance. After declaring at 626/5, the Proteas dismissed Zimbabwe for 170 and enforced the follow-on. The hosts could only manage 220 in their second innings, handing South Africa a resounding victory by an innings and 236 runs. Mulder's contribution wasn’t limited to batting. Alongside his unbeaten 367, he also claimed three wickets and took the final catch to seal the win, a complete all-round performance in a match that will be remembered as much for the declaration as the dominance.