Exclusive: Wiaan Mulder's Knock 'Reminiscent of Root or Kohli' in Dominant Zimbabwe Win, says Ashwell Prince

South Africa cruised to a 2-0 series victory over Zimbabwe, sealing the deal in emphatic fashion with a crushing innings-and-236-run win in the second Test on day three. 

The standout performer of the series was undoubtedly Wiaan Mulder, whose monumental 367* not only set a new South African Test record but also propelled him to fifth on the list of highest individual Test scores in history.

Following a gruelling World Test Championship final, the Proteas opted to rest several first-choice players and blood a new generation. The likes of Dewald Brevis, Lhuandre Pretorius, Codi Yusuf, and Corbin Bosch were all handed opportunities to shine and they delivered.

Youth Seizes the Moment

Batting coach Ashwell Prince lauded the newcomers’ impact. 

"After the WTC final, there were a few changes to the team. We obviously took into consideration the workload of the players, the management staff and coaches felt that a lot of those guys needed some rest for quite a busy calendar coming."

"It gave us an opportunity to have a look at some of the new players, particularly the younger players. From that WTC final, there were 7 changes from the starting 11 and to perform in the way we did [against Zimbabwe], stands us in good stead. It gave Shukri [Conrad] to look at the younger players like a Lhuandre Pretorius, who was astounding. Dewald Brevis was another young player who performed, Codi Yusuf also was impressive and Corbin Bosch with his all-round abilities," Prince told SportsBoom.co.za. 

"You don't often get an opportunity in Test cricket to test your depth and this gave us the opportunity to do that. The guys we were looking at really did well and that's really encouraging for us."

Mulder’s Record-Breaking Marathon

But it was Wiaan Mulder’s second Test heroics that stole the headlines. Serving as stand-in captain, Mulder delivered a performance for the ages — a sublime 367 not out — surpassing Hashim Amla’s long-standing South African record of 311.

"It for was a classy effort, just the measure of control for me as the batting coach was pleasing to witness. The stroke play from Wiaan...reminds me of one of the bigger names like a Joe Root, Virat Kohli or Kane Williamson. I was in awe, maybe some of our guys don't have the track record behind their names and we tend to play it down sometimes but it was truly a sensational innings."

Chasing Lara?

Mulder had an opportunity to go past the great Brian Lara as the highest score of 401 runs. With South Africa in a commanding position and Mulder stating his reasons as he didn't want to reach Lara's record and respectfully reserved the record for only legends and it should remain that way. But was it the right decision?

"[Mulder] Made his statement after the game and it speaks volumes of his character, respecting some of the legends of the game. Three guys ahead of him, Brian Lara features twice alongside one or two others. Yes it was an opportunity for him to write his name right at the top of that list and I know the cricketing world will probably respect his decision."

"Nevertheless, his name is firmly rooted in the history of Test cricket not just for South Africa but also the 5th highest score in history of Test cricket...and his name will be there for a long time."

Hayden Score Of 380 vs Zimbabwe

Many online critics felt it was the right thing to do, considering the quality of the opposition. But second on the all time scores is another legend in Matthew Hayden who scored 380 in 2003, surpassing Brian Lara's score of 375. Which made Hayden the highest run scorer at the time against the same opposition Mulder played against.

Prince firmly believes Mulder did the right thing in not surpassing the legends scores.

"To answer the question about Matthew Hayden, Hayden goes down as one of the legends of Test cricket regardless of that innings [in 2003]. I don't believe that one innings against Zimbabwe put Hayden as a legend. It was only 2 weeks ago, Hayden was inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame. In just speaks volumes what he has done in cricket, not just in his Test cricket career but also in white ball cricket."

"I got a lot of respect with Mulder's decision and I am happy. Ultimately for us, we want to win the game. And if there are opportunities to break records, and he did break the South African record [Hashim Amla 311 runs]. Those opportunities will come, it doesn't come everyday but he played a fantastic innings."

Respecting the Opposition

With the Proteas playing predominantly 2nd stringers and the manner the side won by, questions were raised regarding the quality of the opposition.

"We have to respect every test team that has Test status given to them by the ICC. We only can play who is in front of us. I thought in that first game, they bowled really well. We were 23-3, then 50-4. Lhuandre played a gem of a knock scoring a hundred in those circumstances. I think they [Zimbabwe] got their team selection wrong in the first game because it was their fast bowlers who got us in trouble in the first game but they had two fast bowler and maybe one fast bowler short in conditions that suited the seam bowlers."

"There were times in the series, where we were under pressure. Like I said, we got to respect the opposition and they did give us a scare in the beginning of the series. And the youth led the fightback with the partnership of Dewald and Lhuandre that got us back in the first game."