Wiaan Mulder led South Africa for the first time in Test cricket. Surprisingly, he made a huge impact right away. He scored an unbeaten 367 runs from 334 balls against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. This was only his 21st Test. His score became the fifth-highest individual score in Test history.

He stops short of history

Mulder was just 33 runs away from Brian Lara’s world record of 400 not out, set in 2004. However, he declared the innings at 626 for 5 during lunch on Day 2. His decision shocked many fans and experts.

Mulder entered the elite 300 club

Mulder had ended Day 1 on 264 not out. The next morning, he reached his triple-century in just 297 balls. Only Virender Sehwag had done it faster, taking 278 balls in 2008. Thus, Mulder became the 29th player, and only the *second South African after Hashim Amla (311)**, to score a triple hundred in Tests.

He accelerated even more

After reaching 300, Mulder didn’t slow down. In fact, he added 67 more runs in only 37 balls. He received solid support from Kyle Verreynne, who batted at number 7. As a result, Mulder crossed scores by greats like Len Hutton (364) and Garfield Sobers (365)* before lunch. Now, only Jayawardene (374), *Lara (375 and 400)**, and Hayden (380) stand above him in the all-time list.

His strike rate sets a new benchmark

Moreover, Mulder batted at a blistering pace. He struck 49 fours and 4 sixes. His strike rate of 109.88 is now the highest ever for any player who scored over 300 in a Test.

He breaks a national record too

Mulder also made national history. He became the first South African captain to score a Test triple century. He is standing in for injured regular captain Keshav Maharaj.