'You blew it': Chris Gayle slams Mulder for evading 400
What's the story
Former West Indies opener Chris Gayle took a dig at South Africa's stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder for his early declaration in the 2nd Test against Zimbabwe. Mulder returned unbeaten on 367 (334) while declaring SA's first innings for 626/5. The move came as a surprise to many, especially since he could have joined legend Brian Lara in the elite 400-run club. Gayle called it a "blunder" and said Mulder "panicked" in the moment.
Game details
Mulder's historic innings
In Bulawayo, Muder had a golden opportunity to emulate Lara's long-standing record. The West Indies legend remains the only player to have scored a quadruple-century in Test cricket. He slammed an unbeaten 400 against England in the 2004 St John's Test. In his maiden Test as captain, Mulder slammed an unbeaten 367 off 334 balls (49 fours and 4 sixes) against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Critique
Gayle's take on the matter
Speaking on talkSPORT, Gayle said, "Mulder panicked and he blundered, straight up." He added that it was an error on Mulder's part not to try for the record. "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!" Gayle emphasized that records are part of becoming a legend in cricket.
Justification
Mulder justifies his decision
Earlier, Mulder justified his decision by saying that the big records belong to legends. Mulder informed that he had spoken to South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad, who told him "let the legends keep the big scores." However, Gayle disagreed with this sentiment, saying, "It doesn't matter the opponent, if you get 100 against any team, that's a Test century. If you get a double or triple, 400, that's Test cricket. That's the ultimate game."
Defense
Notable records attained by Mulder
Mulder became the third captain with a 350-plus score in Test cricket. He joined Lara and Mahela Jayawardene. Mulder is South Africa's second triple-centurion in Tests after Hashim Amla. The latter made 311* against England in 2012. The former also slammed the second-fastest triple-century in the format (297 balls), only behind Virender Sehwag's (278 balls). Earlier, Mulder became the third player to register a 200-plus score in their Test debut as captain.