South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder made headlines after scoring an unbeaten 240 runs on his Test captaincy debut. The historic knock came during the second Test match between South Africa and Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Mulder was appointed captain after regular skipper Keshav Maharaj was ruled out due to injury. He came to bat at number 3 when South Africa was struggling at 24 for 2. Calm and composed, Wiaan Mulder took control of the innings from the start.
He reached his maiden double century in style, hitting Wellington Masakadza for a boundary over midwicket in the 74th over. Later, on the last ball of the 80th over, he set a new world record. A four over backward square leg helped him surpass the previous highest score by a debut captain.
Mulder’s unbeaten 240 is now the highest individual score on Test captaincy debut, beating the records set by New Zealand’s Graham Dowling (239 in 1968) and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul (203* in 2005).
Earlier in the innings, the 27-year-old brought up his century by taking a single off Blessing Muzarabani. He became only the third South African captain to score a century in his debut match as skipper. The others were Herbie Taylor in 1913 and Jackie McGlew in 1955.
Wiaan Mulder also became the first South African player and the third overall to score a double century on captaincy debut.
At the end of play, South Africa stood strong at 425 for 4, with nine overs still remaining in the day. Mulder’s exceptional knock has put the Proteas in full control of the match.
This memorable innings marks a new chapter in South African cricket, with Wiaan Mulder setting new records and leading his team with confidence.
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