Connect with us

Latest News

Mulder’s 367 not out headlines South Africa’s day of domination

Published

on

Wiaan Mulder brought up the second fastest triple century in Test cricket [Zimbabwe Cricket]

July 7, 2025 may not invoke the same grand feeling of that unforgettable summer afternoon at Lord’s last month, but it’ll still have a reverence of its own for Wiaan Mulder, who, only weeks earlier, stood on the winner’s podium as a newly crowned World Test Champion.

One of cricket’s most iconic and celebrated records – Brian Lara’s majestic 400 not out, which he held like a crown jewel after reclaiming it from Matthew Hayden – was in real danger of being knocked off its perch after 21 long years. When Mulder, Siuth Africa’s stand-in captain, went into the lunch interval unbeaten on 367, it seemed a matter of time before history books would be rewritten. Then came a quiet message from the change room, like a bolt from the blue. South Africa had declared. Mulder had declared.

“Why did he do that?” is a question that lingered on for much of the day as Zimbabwe collapsed in just 43 overs, and were asked to follow-on. With so much time left in the match, the decision will be rightly debated for a while. Sure, barring Blesssing Muzarabani,  the quality of Zimbabwe’s attack was hardly Test class, but the opportunity to etch yourself into Test history doesn’t come knocking everyday.

South Africa declared on 626 for 5. Mulder’s feat became all the more special as it came in front of his father, who had made the trip to soak in the occasion after he had been informed of  Mulder’s promotion to captaincy in the lead-up to the game after Keshav Maharaj had been ruled out due to an injury. Along the way, Mulder may have cemented himself as South Africa’s new No. 3, a spot once occupied by legends he may have grown up watching, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla among them.

In the morning session, every run or over carried the weight of a milestone either impending or ticked off. Records came records went. Mulder went past some heavyweights in South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Daryl Cullinan, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers. And soon after his triple-ton, he went past 311 to eclipse Amla, and achieve the highest Test score by a South African.

Mulder could’ve chosen a calmer, more serene path if he had wished. South Africa’s run-scoring on the opening day, where they surged to 465 for 4, meant time was never going to be a consideration. Mulder, though, had other ideas. Except for his first boundary very early in the day off Muzarabani, off a streaky edge that flew through vacant third slip, there was control and authority in every stoke he played and every run he ran.

Mulder’s authority stemmed from his own confidence, and Zimbabwe’s hit-me lengths. Without any swing on offer, even with the second new ball that they took late on the opening day, the pacers erred on the shorter side and kept getting punished square of the wicket on both sides. When spin came on, Mulder channeled the golfer in him to club them downtown. He hit 49 fours and four sixes in all – one of them landed out of the ground – forcing them to bring out a different ball.

Amid Mulder’s run-fest, that South Africa lost Dewald Brewis was lost on everyone. He survived on 24 when Craig Ervine put down a regulation chance in the fifth over off Muzarabani at slip, but couldn’t capitalise. On 35, Brevis attempted to flay a cut, only to get a thick outside edge to the wicketkeeper. Kyle Verrevnne then came and enjoyed a good hit out to remain unbeaten on 42.

The day’s big moment – Mulder’s triple – arrived in the 101st over when he clipped a low full toss off Tanaka Chivanga to fine leg to wild applause and cheer from his team-mates on the balcony. It had come off 297 balls, the second-fastest in Test history, behind Virender Sehwag’s that had come off 278 balls against South Africa in Chennai 17 years ago.

After Mulder got past the 300, there was carnage aplenty as Muzarabani was dispatched for three boundaries in an over, the third of those helping him surpass Amla. There was more punishment in the next as Mulder cleared his front leg to wallop him out of the ground to enter the 360s. This is when everyone seemed to be readying for the moment, when the declaration came.

Mulder wasn’t done yet. With the ball, he took out Wesley Madhevere and Ervine in quick succession. Madhevere was out to a nip-backer that flattened the stumps; Ervine was felled by an effort ball that lifted off the deck to have him fend one into the hand of backward point. Mulder’s fiery spell wasn’t the highlight, though. Debutant Prenelan Subraven and Senuran Muthusamy’s flight and loop were equally noteworthy. Subrayen ended with 4 for 42.

Sean Williams who spent much of the first evening and the opening session on the sidelines due to an illness, came out swinging and raised his half-century off just 32 balls, the fastest by a Zimbabwean. But he ran out of partners, and remained stuck on 83 as last man Chivanga’s wicket meant Zimbabwe were bundled out for 170.

Made to follow-on, Zimbabwe lost Dion Myers early, but Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Nick Welch batted a tricky last 30 minutes to take them to stumps on 51 for 1, with Zimbabwe still needing 146 to surpass Mulder.

Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 170 in 43 overs (Sean Williams 83*; Prenclann  Subrayen 4-42, Codi Yusuf 2-20, Wiaan Mulder 2-20) and 51 for 1in 16 overs (f/o) (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 34*; Corbin  Bosch 1-21) trail South Africa 626 for 5 dec in 114 overs (Wiaan Mulder 367*, David Bedingham 82, Lhuan-dre Pretorius 78; Kyle Verreynne 42*; Tanaka Chivanga 2-112, Kudai Matigimu 2-124) by 405 runs

[Cricinfo]



Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Qualifier Maja Chwalinska extends dream French Open run

Published

on

By

Maja Chwalinska beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the French Open first round [BBC Sport]

Qualifier Maja Chwalinska continued her dream French Open run as she beat Anna Kalinskaya to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.

The world number 114 was left open-mouthed with shock after completing a superb 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over 22nd seed Kalinskaya on a blustery Paris day.

Poland’s Chwalinska is the second qualifier after Nadia Podoroska in 2020 to reach the singles semi-finals at Roland Garros.

She is only the sixth qualifier in the Open era to reach the women’s singles semi-finals at a Grand Slam.

Only one – Britain’s Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open – went on to win the title.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka could await Chwalinska the last four, with the Belarusian taking on Russian Diana Shnaider later on Wednesday.

“I honestly don’t know what is going on,” Chwalinska told the crowd.

“I know I repeat myself, but every match here is kind of crazy for me.”

It is a remarkable run for Chwalinska, who arrived at the tournament with just two victories in WTA Tour-level main-draw matches under her belt.

Her sole Grand Slam match win came at Wimbledon in 2022 – but Chwalinska now finds herself on an eight-match winning streak on the Parisian clay, having dropped just one set on the way.

Everything appears to have clicked in place for a player who once feared she might have left the sport for good.

Chwalinska struggled with depression for two years and took an indefinite break from tennis after losing in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon in 2021.

She did not know whether she would return at that point, having lost her enjoyment of training and competing.

With the support of the people around her, the openness of fellow players such as Naomi Osaka in speaking about their mental health, and brief attempts to enjoy other sports, Chwalinska found herself gradually gravitating back to the tennis court.

It has all led her to this moment of a first major semi-final – and a potential David-versus-Goliath showdown with title favourite Sabalenka.

A list of the six qualifiers to reach the women's singles semi-finals in the Open era: Chwalinska, Yastremska, Raducanu, Podoroska, Stevenson, Matison

In Paris, Chwalinska has played with infectious freedom and joyful creativity, beating two seeded players and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen along the way.

She kept her composure well against Kalinskaya, first having to reset after letting a 5-1 lead slip in the opener, before reeling off five straight points from 3-2 down in the resulting tie-break to take the lead.

She then held her nerve in the second, recovering from being broken as she tried to serve out victory before clinching her first match point on Kalinskaya’s serve.

“I was definitely nervous. I am stressed, of course, but I try to focus on my job and my games,” Chwalinska said.

“I am not focusing on confidence. I am playing against the best players in the world, so I will not compare myself to them.”

Whatever happens in the semi-finals, Chwalinska is now projected to leap up the rankings and into the world’s top 30.

By reaching the semi-finals, she has also secured prize money amounting to £647,700 – more than doubling her career total earnings of £642,400 in the space of 10 days.

[BBC Sport]

Continue Reading

Latest News

Foreign nationals among at least 21 killed in Delhi fire

Published

on

By

Firefighters and police officers stand at the site after the fire in Delhi [BBC]

At least 21 people have been killed and many others injured after a fire tore through a multi-storey building in south Delhi, police in India’s capital say.

Many of the victims were foreigners – including people from South Asian and African countries who had travelled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported.

The building in the Malviya Nagar area allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives of those receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital.

More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many were inside the building when fire broke out. Its cause is not yet known.

The blaze is one of the deadliest in recent years in the Indian capital.

“The fire was brought under control quite early on – it was contained very quickly. We have now cleared the building and opened it up for the police,” fire officer AK Malik said.

Delhi minister Ashish Sood said authorities were investigating whether the building had the necessary permissions to operate as a bed-and-breakfast facility, adding that those found responsible for any violations would face criminal action.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,088; £1,552) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for those injured.

ANI A burnt building
The building allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives of those receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital [BBC]

Videos on social media showed flames shooting from the building as people gathered nearby. Footage broadcast by Indian news channels showed its exterior badly charred as emergency workers searched the site.

Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly, trapping people on upper floors. Bystanders helped some escape before emergency crews arrived.

“The fire broke out at about 08:50… we rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop at the corner from where we took out mattresses and laid them on the road,” Wasim Raj told ANI news agency.

“People started to jump out of the building from the second and third floors. The fire-fighting team had reached the spot immediately and started rescue work.”

Sher Khan, who lives nearby, described scenes of panic as people trapped on the upper floors cried out for help.

“As the fire intensified, it seemed as if there was no way to jump from here. People spread mattresses, and some from the third floor jumped out with a little kid… She was saying that she fractured her leg,” he said.

Israr Khan, another local resident, told reporters that “all of us have been here since morning. We rescued a child who jumped from the higher floor”.

Several people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and had travelled to Delhi for medical treatment, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay said.

Fires are common in India, where building safety laws are often poorly enforced.

From factories and coaching centres to hospitals and entertainment venues, many of Delhi’s deadliest blazes have exposed a persistent gap between safety rules on paper and their implementation on the ground.

Investigations have repeatedly pointed to lax inspections, faulty electrical systems and buildings operating beyond their approved use.

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Latest News

US and Iran launch new strikes, as Kuwait says airport hit by Iranian drones

Published

on

By

The US military released video footage of an unloaded tanker purportedly being hit [BBC]

The US military has said it launched “self-defence” strikes on Iran overnight, and shot down ballistic missiles and drones fired at ships and Gulf countries.

The strikes on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, were “in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East”, US Central Command (Centcom) said.

Centcom said Iran had fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted. Iran said it had attacked US bases and helicopters in a “regional country” using missiles and drones in retaliation.

One person was killed in Kuwait and more than 60 injured when drones hit buildings including its international airport, officials said.

Kuwait’s defence ministry spokesman, Brig Gen Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, called the attack “criminal Iranian aggression”, while the Kuwaiti foreign ministry later said infrastructure including diplomatic missions had been damaged.

Centcom said the strike on Qeshm Island had targeted an Iranian military ground control station. It said the US also shot down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran toward “civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters”.

Centcom had earlier said it had struck and “disabled” an unladen oil tanker that was sailing towards Iran, as part of the US naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which began on 13 April.

A US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Botswana-flagged M/T vessel, after its crew “ignored repeated warnings”, it said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said “disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the aggressive US military”.

A foreign ministry statement said the leaders of Kuwait and Bahrain had “direct and unmistakable responsibility” for “last night’s acts of aggression”, according to the AFP news agency, as it condemned the US for the strikes.

Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, where US military bases are located.

The attacks happened as ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran stalled, with a deal to end the war failing to advance over the weekend.

Map titled “US blockade of Iran’s Gulf coast” showing Iran’s southern coastline along the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman highlighted in red to indicate a blockade. Iranian territorial waters are shaded, with a caption stating, “No ships permitted to approach or leave Iranian coast.” Ports and major jetties are marked with purple dots, including Kharg Island and Bandar Abbas. Surrounding seas are labelled, including the Arabian Sea, and a distance scale, source credit, and BBC logo are visible.

US President Donald Trump this week told his critics to “sit back and relax “, saying that Iran “really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA”.

US media earlier reported that Trump had requested edits to the terms of a potential peace deal, after meeting with senior aides to discuss extending the framework of a ceasefire.

The changes related to the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of highly enriched uranium from Iran, the BBC’s US news partner CBS News reported – as well as a framework to reopen negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.

On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied this had been on the table, adding that Washington was “constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands”.

In an interview aired on Wednesday, Trump said Iran had “already agreed” to not have a nuclear weapon.

Trump said Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was “involved” in the talks.

“We seem to be getting along quite well,” Trump told the Pod Force One podcast.

Asked if he would like to meet him, he said: “I’d like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that negotiators had not offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the strait.

“Right now, everything that’s been discussed with them is that … any sanctions relief is condition-based, which means it has to be in return for the reason why those sanctions were put in place in the first place, which is their nuclear programme,” he said.

“The war is over,” he said in another tense exchange with a senator, as lawmakers on the committee questioned the US strategy for ending the conflict.

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Trending