The sacrifice made by Wiaan Mulder for Brian Lara irritates Chris Gayle

West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle was left disappointed with Wiaan Mulder's decision to declare South Africa's innings when he was just 34 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara's record of 400 not out. Mulder smashed 367*\ against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo but declared the innings at 626/5 early on Day 2.

Mulder became the second fastest player in Test cricket history to get his triple century in just 297 balls. Despite the amazing accomplishment, Gayle believed Mulder lost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a cricket legend by failing to reach the 400-run milestone.

"If I had a chance to score 400, I would have gone for it. When you are on 367, you need to go for the record," Gayle said in an interview to talkSPORT. He speculated that Mulder maybe did not have the confidence or could have been nervous but stated that records make great players.

Some critics averred that Mulder's innings came against a weaker team, Zimbabwe, but Gayle put that to rest. He noted that it is always special to score big in Tests, regardless of the opposition. 

"I believe it was a huge error. Maybe he would not have achieved it, but he did not even try. Getting 400 in Tests is such a rare feat. You let a wonderful opportunity slip, young man," Gayle opined.

He concluded by saying that every double, triple, or century in Test cricket is important and that pursuing big records is what makes the format the pinnacle of the game.