On Day two of the second Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Wiaan Mulder scored an unbeaten 367 — just 33 runs shy of Brian Lara’s iconic quadruple century — to record the highest individual score by a South African in Test cricket.
Here, Ongama Gcwabe highlights the top five highest Test scores of all time:
Brian Lara – 400 not out & 375
Who can ever forget Lara’s mountain of a knock against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground in St John’s?
A little over two decades later, his 400 not out remains the highest individual score in Test history. That fixture ended in a draw, but Lara’s record-breaking innings was etched into cricketing folklore.
A decade earlier, Lara had scored 375 at the same venue, also against England — a knock that now sits third on the list of the highest individual Test scores.
Matthew Hayden – 380
Matthew Hayden’s triple century against Zimbabwe at the WACA in Perth ranks second among the highest Test scores. His 380 remains the highest individual total by an Australian — a feat the powerful left-hander thoroughly deserved.
Mahela Jayawardene – 374
Some of South Africa’s greatest Test bowlers — including Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini — will remember all too well Mahela Jayawardene’s masterclass in Colombo. In the first Test of that tour, Jayawardene struck 374 runs, guiding Sri Lanka to a total in excess of 700 and an eventual victory by an innings and 153 runs.
Wiaan Mulder – 367 not out
On Monday, Wiaan Mulder joined an elite list of the game’s all-time greats.
His unbeaten 367 saw him climb to third on the list of highest individual Test scores by a captain. In the South African context, Mulder now holds the record for the country’s highest individual Test score, surpassing Hashim Amla’s 311 made over a decade ago. Mulder finished just 33 runs short of Lara’s unbeaten 400, declaring South Africa’s innings closed on 626/5.
