AB de Villiers believes Wiaan Mulder missed a golden chance to rewrite history. The former South Africa captain criticized Mulder for not pursuing Brian Lara’s record for the highest individual score in Test cricket during the July series against Zimbabwe. Lara, the legendary West Indies batter, still holds the record with an unbeaten 400 against England.
In the second Test, Mulder looked set to surpass the milestone after bringing up a sensational triple century. He was unbeaten on 367 when he declared the innings, walking away from the possibility of breaking Lara’s long-standing feat.
Mulder later explained that he chose not to chase the record out of respect for Lara, acknowledging the West Indies great achieved it against a far stronger opposition. Despite his reasoning, several former players, including AB de Villiers, were disappointed with his call.
AB de Villiers: “He should have broken Lara’s record”
South African batting icon AB de Villiers recently shared his thoughts on Wiaan Mulder’s monumental innings during an appearance on the Beard Before Wicket podcast. Mulder’s unbeaten 367 runs sparked debate after he chose not to push further in pursuit of Brian Lara’s legendary 400-run record.
AB de Villiers admitted he disagreed with Mulder’s reasoning.
“I think he should have gone for it. I didn’t quite agree with his comments afterwards about leaving the record to the legends. He had already passed several legends just by crossing 350—players like Sangakkara. What does that make them then, not legends?” said AB de Villiers.
The former Proteas skipper stressed that opportunities like this are once-in-a-lifetime.
“He’s never going to get that chance again. Just go for it. Doesn’t matter who the opposition is or where you’re playing. They still won the Test match—that’s what matters most,” he added.
Mulder, however, stood by his decision, explaining why he stopped short of chasing Lara’s milestone.
“You never know what’s written for you, but Brian Lara keeping that record feels right. He’s a legend who scored 400 against England. For someone of that stature to hold the record is pretty special,” Mulder had said after the match.
Mulder’s 367* is now the fifth-highest individual score in Test history and the highest by a South African. The only men ahead of him are Mahela Jayawardene (374), Brian Lara (375), Matthew Hayden (380), and Lara again with his unbeaten 400.
