South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder declared on 367 runs, refusing to surpass Brian Lara’s 400* Test record. AB de Villiers slammed the decision, calling it a missed chance.

Wiaan Mulder, an all-rounder from South Africa, had a great chance to make history by breaking Brian Lara’s record for the most runs by a single player in a Test innings. The West Indies star still retains the record with his score of 400*, which he got against England in 2004. But Mulder may have beaten this record since he was batting on 367 runs in a Test match against Zimbabwe in July of this year.

But the all-rounder, who was filling in as South Africa’s captain for the match, shocked everyone by declaring the side’s innings. Mulder told Shaun Pollock at the end of the day’s play that he opted to declare the innings because he thinks Lara should keep the record.

“You never know what is destined for me, but Brian Lara keeping that record (of the highest score in Tests) is exactly the way it should be,” Mulder said after the conclusion of the day.

“I thought we got enough from the new ball, and secondly, Brian Lara is a legend. 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. Speaking to Shuks (Shukri Conrad), he kind of said to me, ‘Alright, listen, let the legends keep the really big scores,” he added.

Legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers expressed his dissatisfaction with Mulder’s reasoning for not surpassing Lara’s record. Furthermore, he remarked that the all-rounder would face significant challenges in securing another opportunity to break the prestigious record.

“I think he should have (broken Lara’s record). I mean, I didn’t quite agree with the comments afterwards where he was talking about the legends must have the records. But he passed a lot of legends just for the last 20 runs he got. Sangakkara’s, guys like that. I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re not legends or what?‘” de Villiers said on Beard Before Wicket Podcast.

“No, he’s never going to get that opportunity (to break Lara’s record) again. Just go get it. Doesn’t matter who it’s against or where it is. They still won the Test match. That’s the most important thing,” he added.

Meanwhile Mulder’s score of 367 is the fifth-highest individual score posted in the history of Test cricket. The South African only fell behind the scores of Lara (400*), Matthew Hayden (380), Lara (375), Mahela Jayawardene (374).