'Blown it big time,' Chris Gayle says Wiaan Mulder 'panicked' on 367 not out

Former West Indies batter Chris Gayle thinks that South Africa's Wiaan Mulder has 'blown it big time' by not going for Brian Lara's record of 400 runs in recently concluded Test against Zimbabwe. Mulder was at 367 not out at lunch on day 2 (Jul 7) of the second Test when he decided to declare the innings - 33 runs short of Lara's record of highest individual Test score. The Protea, later on, said that he did it out of respect for Lara but Gayle believes Mulder panicked and didn't know what to do in the situation.

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"I think it was an error from his side, not to try and go to get it," Gayle said while talking to talkSPORT. "We don't know if he would go on and get it or not. But he declared on 367 and he said what he had to say. But listen, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to get 400 runs in a Test match. Come on, youngster, you've blown it big time. Come on, you're on 367, automatically you have to take a chance at the record. If you want to be a legend... how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend.

"If I could get the chance to get 400, I would get 400," Gayle told talkSPORT. "That doesn't happen often. You don't know when you're going to get to a triple-century again. Any time you get a chance like that, you try and make the best out of it. But he was so generous and said he wanted the record to stay with Brian Lara. Maybe he panicked, he didn't know what to do in that situation," he added. Mulder's record, nonetheless, is highest by an South African - going past Hashim Amla's 311.