Desk Report,
Highest innings on Test captaincy debut, remember Mulder’s name
Christchurch’s Lancaster Park Stadium is no more. It was permanently closed after being damaged by a devastating earthquake in 2011. It was later demolished and converted into an amusement park.
Highest innings on Test captaincy debut, remember Mulder’s name
The ‘non-existent’ ground was the site where New Zealand’s Graham Dowling scored 239 against India in 1968, the highest individual score on his Test debut as captain. Dowling’s record, set 57 years ago, has now disappeared, just like Lancaster Park.

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Mulder’s highest innings on Test captaincy debut, remember his name
Sports Desk
Published: 06 July 2025, 21:57
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South Africa captain Wian Mulder is unbeaten on 264 runs at the end of the first day of the Bulawayo TestPhoto: Zimbabwe Cricket
The Lancaster Park stadium in Christchurch is no more. The stadium was permanently closed after being damaged by a devastating earthquake in 2011. It was later demolished and converted into an amusement park.
It was on that ‘non-existent’ ground that New Zealand’s Graham Dowling scored 239 against India in 1968, the highest individual scorer on his Test debut. Dowling’s record, set 57 years ago, has also vanished like Lancaster Park today.
Wien Mulder broke Dowling’s record in his first Test as South Africa captain. South Africa batted first after losing the toss in the second and final Test of the series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Mulder, who was out for three, scored 264 not out! The Proteas finished the first day at 465 for 4 in 88 overs. The 27-year-old all-rounder has hit 34 fours and 3 sixes so far.
However, Mulder is not expected to become South Africa’s Test captain so soon. The current world champion Test captain Temba Bavuma did not travel to Zimbabwe due to a hamstring injury. Vice-captain Aiden Markram and experienced pacer Kagiso Rabada have also been rested. In their absence, the team’s leadership was handed over to left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
But Maharaj suffered a groin injury while batting in the first Test at Bulawayo and was ruled out of the second Test. Mulder made history by leading South Africa for the first time in his place.
In the 148-year history of Tests, 34 cricketers have scored a century on their captaincy debut. Bangladesh’s recently-former Test captain Nazmul Hossain is also on the list. Nazmul scored 105 runs in Bangladesh’s second innings on his captaincy debut against New Zealand in the Sylhet Test in 2023.
