Sports Desk:

South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder smashed the second-fastest triple century in Test cricket history, delivering a record-breaking performance against Zimbabwe in the second and final match of the series. The all-rounder, who had briefly left South Africa during the Kolpak era, also became the first-ever captain to achieve this extraordinary feat.

Mulder reached his triple hundred in just 297 balls, second only to Virender Sehwag’s 278-ball blitz against South Africa in Chennai in 2008. He also joined an elite club as only the second South African to score a Test triple century, following Hashim Amla’s unbeaten 311 against England at The Oval in 2012.

Resuming Day 2 on 264 not out, Mulder wasted little time in bringing up his milestone.

His innings rewrote the record books on multiple fronts. He became the first player to score a triple century on Test captaincy debut, surpassing New Zealand’s Graham Dowling, who had scored 239 against India in 1969. He also overtook Graeme Smith’s 277 against England in 2003 to post the highest individual score by a South African Test captain. Remarkably, his 264 runs on the opening day were the most by a South African in a single day and the second-most by any batter on Day 1 of a Test match.

At 27 years and 138 days, Mulder became the youngest Test captain to score a triple hundred, breaking a 61-year-old record held by former Australia skipper Bob Simpson, who was 28 when he made 311 against England in Manchester in 1964. Notably, India’s Shubman Gill had narrowly missed the mark just days earlier, falling for 269 at Edgbaston.

Batting at No. 3, Mulder anchored the South African innings with two crucial partnerships-184 runs with David Bedingham and 217 with Lhuan-dre Pretorius-as the visitors took full control after Zimbabwe chose to bowl first. His double century had come off just 214 balls, the second-fastest by a South African, behind only Herschelle Gibbs’ 211-ball effort against Pakistan in 2003.