Wiaan Mulder Shatters Captaincy Records with 264 on Test Debut in Bulawayo

A Day to Remember: Wiaan Mulder’s Record-Breaking Spree in Bulawayo

Bulawayo, July 6, 2025 –
South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder stunned the cricketing world with an unbeaten 264 on the opening day of the second Test against Zimbabwe, shattering long-standing records and etching his name in history as one of the most dominant debutant captains in Test cricket.

Let’s break down the remarkable stats and milestones from Mulder’s unforgettable knock.

Key Records & Highlights from Mulder’s 264*

Highest Score on Test Captaincy Debut

• Wiaan Mulder (264)* became the first captain in history to score 250+ runs in his first innings as Test captain, surpassing Graham Dowling’s 239 (NZ vs IND, 1968).
• Only Mulder, Dowling, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (203*) have scored double centuries on captaincy debut.

🇿🇦 Second-Highest Score by a South African Captain

• Only behind Graeme Smith’s 277 vs ENG, Mulder’s 264* is the second-highest Test score by a South African captain.

Top Scores on Captaincy Debut in Tests

Rare South African Feat

• Mulder became just the third South African to score a century on Test captaincy debut:
  • Herbie Taylor – 109 vs ENG (1913)
  • Jackie McGlew – 104* vs ENG (1955)
  • Wiaan Mulder – 264* vs ZIM (2025)

Blistering Pace: 2nd-Fastest Double Century for South Africa

• Reached his 200 in 214 balls, second only to Herschelle Gibbs’ 211-ball double ton vs Pakistan (2003).

Fastest Known 250s in Test Cricket (Balls Faced)

Record-Breaking Partnership Run Rate

• Mulder & Lhuan-dre Pretorius added 217 runs in just 185 balls
• Run rate: 7.03 – the highest-ever for a 200+ Test partnership (previous: 6.94 by Crawley & Root vs AUS, 2023 Ashes)

Historic Day 1 Run Fest

• South Africa posted 465 runs on Day 1:
  • Most by any team in a single day of a Test in Zimbabwe
  • 7th highest in Test history
  • South Africa’s highest-ever Day 1 total

Top Day 1 Totals in Test History