Mulder reveals Lara wanted him to chase world record score

Days after South African all-rounder Wiian Mulder decided against chasing Brian Lara’s iconic 400 not out during the second Test against Zimbabwe and went on to declare the innings closed at 626/5 with himself unbeaten on 367, Mulder revealed that the West Indies legend had encouraged him to go for the record.

“Now that things have settled a little bit, I’ve chatted a little bit to Brian Lara,” Mulder told SuperSport.

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“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.”

Lara’s iconic unbeaten 400 against England remains the highest individual score in Test history. Mulder, standing in as captain in the absence of Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj, chose not to surpass it, prioritising the team’s position over personal milestones.

“You never know what is destined for me, but Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be,” Mulder had said after South Africa wrapped up a win inside three days.

“He got 400 against England—for someone of that stature, to keep that record is pretty special. I think if I get the chance again, I will probably do the same thing.”

While Mulder still believes he made the right decision to leave the record untouched, cricket fans and pundits saw it differently, suggesting he should have pushed on and attempted to break his mark of 400.

However, Mulder remained firm in his stance that “respecting the game” was paramount.

“That was an interesting point of view from his (Lara) side, but I still believe I did the right thing and respecting the game is the most important part for me,” he said.