England captain Ben Stokes on Wednesday reacted to South Africa captain Wiaan Mulder’s decision to declare when the Protea batter was batting at 367 runs against Zimbabwe, with Brian Lara’s 400-run record firmly in sight. Stokes said he respected Mulder’s decision but also lightheartedly said that the Protea will not get such an opportunity again.
“As captain you’d rather do it to yourself than the captain pulling out on a groundbreaking day. Fair play to him… I think he said something about how it should stay with Brian. He’s not going to get that opportunity again (laughs)! Fair play to them,” Stokes said on the sidelines of the India vs England 3rd test.
Having gone past Hashim Amla’s 311 to own the highest individual score by a South African, a world record was there for the taking on Monday. Lara’s unbeaten 400, which has stood tall for 21 years, finally faced a genuine threat before the 27-year-old Mulder decided to end the misery of the Zimbabwe attack with immediate effect.
Would Ben Stokes have declared himself with Brian Lara’s record in sight, just as Wiaan Mulder did?
Something tells us probably not… 😅 pic.twitter.com/vmrGsjsehE
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 9, 2025
In a decision that raised eyebrows across the cricketing world, Mulder declared South Africa’s innings at 625/5 during the break, despite being just 33 runs away from Lara’s mark.
Explaining his decision, Mulder would go on to say that Lara deserved to keep that record.
“First things first. I thought we’d got enough and needed a bowl. And, secondly, Brian Lara is a legend, let’s be real. He got 400 against England (in Antigua in 2004) and for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special. I think if I get the chance again, I’d probably do the same thing,” Mulder said.
However, another former cricketer, Chris Gayle, slammed the decision and said it was an error from Mulder. “He panicked and he blundered, straight up,” Gayle said, speaking on talkSPORT. “I think it was an error from his side, not to try and go to get it. We don’t know if he would go on and get it or not. But he declared on 367, and he said what he had to say. But listen, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get 400 runs in a Test match. Come on, youngster, you’ve blown it big time!”
“Come on, you’re on 367; automatically, you have to take a chance at the record. If you want to be a legend, how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend,” Gayle added.
