Bulaway, July 7 (IANS) Wiaan Mulder revealed the reason behind declaring 33 runs short of the record of the highest individual score in an innings in the second Test of the two-game series against Zimbabwe being played at the Queen’s Sports Club here on Monday.

Mulder, 27, was unbeaten at 367 when lunch was called. With South Africa having scored 626/5, the all-rounder decided to call curtains on their innings and did not go for a chance to enter the elusive 400-run club. His first-inning total is now the highest individual score by a South African in Test history.

The Proteas all-rounder, who played the captain’s role for the first time in the game, believes West Indies legend Brian Lara deserved to keep his record of 400 not out, which he scored against England in 2004.

“Firstly, I thought we had enough and we needed to bowl. Secondly, Brian Lara is a legend. For someone of that stature to keep that record is deserved. If I get the chance to do it again, I’d do it exactly the same way. I spoke to Shuks (Shukri Conrad), and he felt the same way. Brian Lara is a legend, and he deserves to keep that record,” said Mulder in the post-day interview.

With a mountain score of 626 being set by lunch on Day 2, a deflated Zimbabwe batting unit did not provide much trouble for the Proteas bowlers as they were bowled out for 170 in the first innings, allowing South Africa to enforce the follow-on.

Debutant spinner Prenelan Subrayen claimed four wickets while Codi Yusuf and captain Mulder bagged two scalps each. Senuran Muthusamy and Corbin Bosch too claimed a wicket each.

At stumps on Sunday, he had already racked up 264 runs – the most by any South African in a single day of Test cricket. He went on to surge past Hashim Amla (311) to shatter the record of the highest score by a South African batter.

The all-rounder went on to explain his mindset overnight and during his record-breaking innings on Day 2.

“What’s going on between your ears is most important, and there were a lot of thoughts that I had. There were so many negative thoughts after I got bowled off the no-ball last night. There were a lot of positives as well. I wanted to just stay positive. Just keep the focus on my shoes and keep singing songs in my head. Today at breakfast, somebody mentioned that 277 is the highest score by a debutant captain, so that was the first hurdle. I got past Hash’s (Amla) score and only then realised that I had got to 312,” he added.

At the end of Day 2, Zimbabwe’s second inning score stands at 51/1 with an almost impossible task of clearing the 405-run deficit that awaits them on Tuesday.

–IANS

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