Wiaan Mulder, who is captaining South Africa in the ongoing second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, played a record-breaking knock in the first innings. He slammed a triple hundred, making 367 runs off 334 balls, remaining unbeaten.
His marathon knock included 49 boundaries and four sixes, and was played at a strike-rate of 109.88. While Wiaan Mulder had the opportunity of a lifetime to get to the 400-mark and break Brian Lara's long-standing record, he surprisingly chose to declare the innings with the Proteas on 626/5.
Nonetheless, it was a breathtaking knock as he took the attack and led from the front, making several records. Mulder became the highest individual scorer for South Africa in Tests, surpassing Hashim Amla's unbeaten 311. He also became only the second South African with a triple hundred in Tests.
Notably, Wiaan Mulder is leading the side in the absence of Keshav Maharaj, who was ruled out for the second Test due to a groin injury. He has now grabbed the attention of cricket fans worldwide with his scintillating display.
That said, here are five interesting facts about Mulder that you may not have known before.
#5 Wiaan Mulder made his first-class debut while still at school
Wiaan Mulder made his first-class debut at the age of 18 in 2016 for the Highveld Lions against Cape Cobras at Johannesburg during the 2016-17 Sunfoil series. Mulder picked up three wickets in the first innings and four in the second on his debut.
He completed his education at the St. Stithians College. Interestingly, his first-class debut came while he was still at school as he had arrived in his St Stithians uniform for the match against Cobras at the Wanderers.
#4 Mulder made his ODI debut at the age of 19
Just a year after making his first-class debut, Wiaan Mulder, at the age of just 19, made his ODI debut for South Africa in 2017. His ODI debut came against Bangladesh in the third ODI at East London. He scored two runs with the bat and returned with figures of 1/32 from eight overs with the ball.
He last played an ODI against New Zealand in Lahore during the 2025 Champions Trophy. Mulder has played 25 ODIs so far in international career and has picked up 22 wickets. scoring 276 runs with two half-centuries to his name.
#3 South Africa's leading wicket-taker at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup
Wiaan Mulder was also a part of South Africa's squad for the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. He was the leading wicket-taker for South Africa Under-19 at the tournament.
Mulder played five matches and picked up 11 wickets at an average of 10.63 with a strike-rate of 18.3 and an economy rate of 3.47. The right-arm medium pacer had best figures of 4/14 in the tournament. South Africa Under-19 won the 11th Place play-off by beating New Zealand Under-19 by 138 runs, where Mulder bagged 4/14.
#2 Batted with a fractured finger in a Test match
Wiaan Mulder showed his dedication and love for the sport and playing for his country when he once batted with a fractured finger in a Test match. The instance occurred during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban in 2024.
While batting at number seven in the first innings, his right middle finger was broken after he was struck by a delivery from Lahiru Kumara, after which he returned hurt. However, Mulder returned to bat in the second innings and in fact also batted at number three, gaining an unexpected promotion. He made 15 runs off 31 balls in the second innings.
#1 His wife is a registered counselor
Not many are aware of Wiaan Mulder's wife and what she does. Justine Paige Mulder, his wife, got married to the South Africa cricketer in October 2022. Interestingly, Justine Mulder is a registered counselor.
She offers online counselling sessions on her online website, JW Counselling. Justine graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Arts from the University of Pretoria in 2019. She also attended the South African College of Applied Psychology in 2021.
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