Aiden Markram – Future Proteas Star

Though he was nearly 23 when he made his international debut, South Africa’s selectors had seen something in Aiden Markram long before that. As much as Kagiso Rabada’s bowling, it was Markram’s batting and leadership that were crucial to South Africa winning the Under-19 World Cup in 2014. Given their struggles in global competitions over the years, that tournament marked something of a breakthrough, though neither he nor Rabada has managed to deliver such performances (yet) on the biggest stages in senior cricket.

Markram first impressed as a Test opener, but his struggles in Asia made many wonder whether he could be seen as a long-term prospect. It took longer for him to establish himself in the white-ball teams, though he has been most consistent so far in the T20I arena. Given the number of seniors that South Africa have lost to retirement, the shortest format may well represent the team’s greatest chance of success in the immediate future.

Markram didn’t sit idle during the pandemic either. He used the downtime to work on his technique and was a markedly more convincing batter against Pakistan’s spinners in 2021. Though South Africa lost the Test series, a hundred and a half century went some way to answering his critics.

Markram had to bide his time to make an impact in the Indian T20 League. An average stint with the Punjab team in the second half of the 2021 season was enough to spark a minor bidding war during the 2022 auction. It was the Hyderabad team that prevailed, and Markram repaid their faith with some fine innings in the first half of the tournament. For now, though, there’s a T20 World Cup to look forward to, as South Africa seek to change a miserable script in the biggest events.

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