BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Wiaan Mulder sacrificed a shot at one of cricket's most hallowed records to start mopping up Zimbabwe in the second test at Queens Sports Club on Monday.
The first-time captain of South Africa was on 367 — just 33 runs shy of Brian Lara's world record 400 not out set 21 years ago — when he stopped his epic innings and declared with South Africa on 626-5.
He then chipped in with two wickets in consecutive overs and a catch to help dismiss Zimbabwe for 170, enforced the follow-on, and had Zimbabwe 51-1 in its second innings by stumps.
Already 1-0 up in the short series, the World Test Championship winners were 405 runs ahead and gearing toward wrapping up another three-day win on Tuesday.
“First, I thought we have enough and we need to bowl,” Mulder told broacaster SuperSport. “Secondly, Brian Lara is a legend, he got 400 against England and for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special. If I get the chance again I'd probably do the same thing.”
“I was speaking to Shuks (Proteas coach Shukri Conrad) and he kind of said to me as well, ‘Let the legends keep the really big scores.’ You never know what my fate is or what is destined for me. But Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be.”
Lara, the former West Indies skipper, is one of cricket's legendary figures, tallying almost 12,000 runs in test cricket at an average of 52.88 per innings, including 24 centuries and 48 half-centuries from 1990 to 2006.
Within a couple of months in 1994, he set records for highest scores in test cricket (375 against England) and first-class cricket (501 not out). After losing the test record to Australia's Matthew Hayden, who scored 380 against Zimbabwe in October 2003, Lara regained the record with an unbeaten 400 six months later in 2004.
Mulder achieved the fifth-highest test score ever, and the highest by a South African. Apart from Lara and Hayden, Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene’s 374 is the only other higher score in the test format.
To stay in the moment for the nearly seven hours he spent in the middle, Mulder sang to himself, “Zombie” by The Cranberries, over and over.
“That was stuck in my head most of the game, and whenever I felt a little bit out of it I just kept singing, sometimes louder, to make sure I'm present. That's my method.”
He started day two on 264 and the second new ball only eight overs old. But he picked up where he left off on Sunday, plundering the Zimbabwe bowlers.
When he became the second South African to the 300 landmark, guiding Tanaka Chivanga's yorker to fine leg for a single, he took off his helmet, smiled and raised his bat to bathe in the applause.
“I never even dreamt of getting a double hundred never mind a triple hundred but it's super special,” Mulder said. “The most important thing is it put the team in a good position to hopefully win this test.”
His 297 balls to the milestone were the second fastest to 300 after India's Virender Sehwag took 278 balls versus South Africa in 2008.
Mulder became the highest-scoring South African in tests when he eclipsed Hashim Amla's 311 not out against England in 2012.
He raced from 300 to 350 in 27 balls, and gave his teammates a salute.
He went from 300 to 367 in 37 balls then hardly faced another ball. Kyle Verreynne had the strike for most of the last four overs to lunch and was 42 not out.
Mulder's 334-ball knock included 49 boundaries and four sixes.
After South Africa rested on its sixth highest total in history, and highest in nine years, Zimbabwe's first bat lasted only 43 overs.
Off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen, making his test debut at age 31, took 4-42 to leave Zimbabwe's Sean Williams stranded on 83.
Williams had been ill and didn't field in the morning. He didn't bat until Zimbabwe was 56-5 and he zoomed to 50 in 32 balls, the fastest test 50 in the team's history.
No. 11 batter Chivanga seemed to give Williams every chance to achieve back-to-back centuries in the series, by lasting for more than six overs.
Williams, given a reprieve by a no-ball on 79, hit 83 off 55 balls.
Corbin Bosch got the only second-innings wicket, and Zimbabwe reached stumps with Takudzwanashe Kaitano on 34 and Nick Welch on 6.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
FILE - South Africa's Wiaan Mulder trains before the start of play on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence spun and rolled left to avoid pressure, squared his shoulders as much as possible with a defender in his face and heaved the ball 50 yards toward the sideline.
It looked like a potential throwaway.
It was actually a perfectly placed pass to Parker Washington, who was sprinting across the field.
Lawrence smiled and shrugged his shoulders toward Jacksonville’s bench — an acknowledgement that it was the second time in as many weeks he turned a busted play into a big gain — and moved on. There really wasn’t much else to say as the best performance of Lawrence’s five-year NFL career unfolded against the New York Jets.
Lawrence finished with 330 yards passing, five touchdowns and a career-high 136.7 passer rating. He also ran for 51 yards and a score. Three days later, Lawrence was named AFC offensive player of the week.
He has a shot at being the league's conference player of the month for December, especially if he continues to ascend when the surprising Jaguars (10-4) play at stingy Denver (12-2) on Sunday.
“I feel like I’m seeing it really well,” Lawrence said. “I think I’m throwing it well. Offensively, in general, it’s never about one guy. As an offense, we’re really synced up right now, especially in the passing game and protecting up front.
“We all have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing. It seems like we’ve got the ball rolling the last few weeks, so it feels good.”
Lawrence has thrown for at least 225 yards and two TDs in four consecutive weeks. He also has no turnovers in his last three games — Lawrence’s longest, mistake-free stretch since the Jaguars drafted him as the top pick in 2021.
There are reasons for his recent surge.
Coach Liam Coen tops the list. The play-caller and Lawrence have figured each other out, building a level of consistency and cohesion Lawrence rarely found as a rookie under coach Urban Meyer or in three years under Doug Pederson, who changed passing game coordinators and gave up play-calling duties after his first season in Jacksonville.
Coen has drawn rave reviews inside the team facility for his communication skills and his willingness to adjust — no moves bigger than trading for sure-handed receivers Jakobi Meyers and Tim Patrick, inserting backup left tackle Cole Van Lanen into the starting lineup and remaining committed to a ground game that helps keep Lawrence upright and healthy.
“As you’re building, you just have to make sure you’re doing right by the whole place and putting the best 11 out there,” Coen said. “Individual success is extremely important to us. You want every player to get what they truly deserve and earn. … But it has to come back to the team first.
“Ultimately, everything we’re trying to do is to do that. Put the team first, protect the team and give ourselves the best chance to go win on Sunday.”
The Jaguars have won five in a row and six of seven since their bye, the only loss being the biggest collapse in franchise history. They are averaging 34.2 points a game during the winning streak, with Lawrence getting — and deserving — much of the credit.
He finally looks like the generational quarterback the Jaguars thought they were getting nearly five years ago when the previously winless Jets beat the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland in consecutive weeks late in the 2020 season to essentially hand the top draft pick to Jacksonville.
His mistakes are down, and he’s using his legs like never before. He ranks fifth in franchise history with 20 rushing scores, including a career-high six this season, and sits third in franchise history with 92 TD passes in 74 starts.
He passed David Garrard (89) last week and has Blake Bortles (103) and Mark Brunell (144) within reach considering Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract with the Jaguars before the 2024 season.
He is currently tied for sixth in the NFL with 23 TD passes, two shy of his career best set in 2023. More importantly, the Jaguars have double-digit wins for the second time in 18 seasons and are on the verge of making the playoffs for just the fifth time this century.
“It all starts with him, and he’s doing a great job,” Meyers said. “Up or down, we’re going to rock with him regardless. So, wherever he goes, we’re going.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs with ball against New York Jets cornerback Qwan'Tez Stiggers (37) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws a pass against the New York Jets during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during the second half against the New York Jets an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
