Wiaan Mulder shocked the cricketing world on Monday (July 7) as he declared the innings for South Africa against Zimbabwe during the second Test at the Queens Sports Club in Blulawayo while batting at 367 during the lunch break on the second day.

The South African start was just 33 runs away from making a 400, which would have marked just the second instance of a player reaching the milestone in the 148-year-old history of the sport. The only instance of a player scoring a quadrup century was Brian Lara, when he made an unbeaten knock of 400 against England at Antigua in 2004.

While Mulder's declaration became a major talking point, the Proteas stand-in skipper broke his silence on the topic after the end of play on Day 2 and stated that he wanted to let Brian Lara keep the record and revealed that he had a chat with head coach Shukri Conrad.

"I thought we had enough and we need to bowl. Secondly, Brian Lara is a legend let's be real. He got 401, or whatever it was, against England For someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special. I think if I get the chance again, I would probably do the same thing

"Speaking to Shuks, he kinda said to me as well: 'Listen, let the legends keep the really big scores'. You never know what's my fate, or what is destined for me, but I think Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be," said Mulder in a chat with the broadcaster.

The 29-year-old is leading South Africa for the first time and shattered a series of records through the course of his knock. However, he decided against going for the 400.

Mulder's score is the fifth-highest individual score in Test cricket history and the highest away from home.