Ben Stokes joked that if he had been Wiaan Mulder instead of declaring the innings, he would have tried to chase Brian Lara’s 400* all-time record. For those who are unaware, backup South Africa captain Mulder announced South Africa’s innings before lunch on Day 2, saying he didn’t feel it was fair to take Lara’s record for the best Test score. When the announcement was made, Mulder was undefeated on 367.
In addition, Ben Stokes jokingly admitted that Mulder ought to have shattered Lara’s record a few days ago and expressed his belief that he would never be given another opportunity of that nature.
“As captain, you’d rather do it to yourself than the captain pulling out on a groundbreaking day. Fair play to him. I think he said something about how it should stay with Brian. He’s not going to get that opportunity again (laughs)! Fair play to them,” shared Stokes in a video shared by Test Match Special on X.
Would Ben Stokes have declared himself with Brian Lara's record in sight, just as Wiaan Mulder did?
Something tells us probably not… 😅 pic.twitter.com/vmrGsjsehE
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 9, 2025
Mulder took three wickets during Zimbabwe’s innings and was ultimately named Player of the Match for his outstanding knock. The Proteas won the second Test by a massive margin of an innings and 236 runs, ultimately destroying the hosts.
Arriving at recent five match series between England and India, both teams have played one match each with one of them being won by each team. With a five-wicket margin, the hosts won at Headingley. India under Shubman Gill did a fantastic turn around to win the game at Edgbaston by 336 runs.
England bring in Archer for Lord’s clash
The third match will take place at Cricket’s Home. After what transpired in the last match, Stokes and England would be looking to recover strongly. They will face a strong competition that is eager to take advantage of their momentum. Their Lord’s Test playing XI has already been revealed, and leading bowler Jofra Archer will be making a comeback.
England XI for 3rd Test vs India: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir
