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.

Social media erupted with a mix of admiration and frustration. Some praised Mulder's humility, while others argued he missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to etch his name in the record books.

South Africa stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder felt he had no right to dislodge West Indies great Brian Lara from the summit of highest test innings scores and decided to declare his team's innings against Zimbabwe when he was 34 runs short of breaking the record.