Mulder Achieves Century on Test Captaincy Debut

BULAWAYO: Wiaan Mulder celebrated his first match as South Africa’s captain in red-ball cricket by scoring a remarkable century during the initial innings of the ongoing second Test against Zimbabwe.

The 27-year-old all-rounder, representing Gauteng, entered the game at position No. 3. He achieved his century by hitting a single off Blessing Muzarabani’s delivery during the 43rd over on Sunday (July 6).

Mulder is now the third South African cricketer to achieve a century in his first Test as captain. Herbie Taylor was the first, scoring 109 runs against England in Durban in December 1913.

The second player to reach this milestone was Jackie McGlew, who made 104 runs in the first innings playing against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, in August 1955.

South African Captains Scoring a Century on Test Debut:
  • Herbie Taylor: 109 vs England, Durban, 1913
  • Jackie McGlew: 104 vs England, Manchester, 1955
  • Wiaan Mulder: vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2024

In a broader perspective, the right-handed batsman is the 35th player in Test history to mark his captaincy debut with a century.

Previously, Shubman Gill of India accomplished this feat with a score of 147 in the first innings of the Leeds Test against England on June 20-21, 2025.

By the end of the 61st over in South Africa’s innings, Mulder had reached a commanding score of 156 off 170 balls. This surpassed Jackie McGlew’s previous record for the highest score in a debut Test as captain for South Africa.

McGlew had accumulated a total of 152 runs (104* and 48) across both innings, a figure Mulder exceeded in a single innings.

If Mulder manages to score at least 44 additional runs, he will become the third player in Test cricket history to score a double century in his first match as captain.

The only two players to accomplish this are Graham Dowling of New Zealand (239 vs India in 1968, Christchurch) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies (203* vs South Africa in 2005).