South African batter Aiden Markram remains confident that past failures won’t affect their performance when they take on Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord’s, starting Wednesday.
The Proteas have historically struggled to clear the final hurdle in global tournaments. They also suffered a painful loss in the T20 World Cup final last year against India in Barbados. Despite being in a strong position — needing just 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand — the team lost its grip on the game.
However, Markram, who captained the side in that T20 final and is one of five players from that squad involved in the WTC final, believes the team has grown under Test captain Temba Bavuma.
“This team is different,” Markram said at Lord’s on Sunday. “Those of us who have experienced past disappointments have dealt with them, discussed them, and learned from them. Now, it’s about the excitement of another opportunity to succeed.”
Ready to Take on Australia’s Pace Attack
As an opener, Markram will have the responsibility of facing Australia’s formidable bowling attack. But he believes that training against South Africa’s own pace unit — led by Kagiso Rabada — has its advantages.
“As an opener, my role is to give the team a strong start,” he said. “Preparing against our world-class bowlers can be tough, but it definitely helps us as batters.”
Reflecting on their journey to the final, Markram said, “Most of our series were two-match series, so we couldn’t afford to start slowly. We need to be sharp from day one.”
“Playing a Test match at Lord’s is special — and having it as a final is the cherry on top,” said the 30-year-old, who has played 45 Tests. “The history… so many greats of the game have played here. It’s amazing to have the chance to play on the same field and share the same dressing room.”
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