Aiden Markram’s second World Cup title will feel like his first

A decade after guiding the national junior team to a World Cup title, Aiden Markram looks forward to leading the SA senior side at a global championship for the first time, but he admits he can’t take much from his previous experience of lifting a trophy.

Markram was the captain of the South African team at the 2014 U-19 World Cup in the UAE, where they beat Pakistan in the final with a team that also included fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.

Ten years on, Markram and Rabada are the only members of that side who are in the senior squad for the T20 World Cup starting in the West Indies and the United States this weekend.

‘It will mean more’

And the skipper said this week he did not believe there was much they could take from that performance, as they were playing at a higher level in a different format, in a game that had since changed significantly.

“There is a small element of confidence and belief you could potentially take from it, but for me if we win this World Cup, that will be the first World Cup we win,” Markram said.

“That’s not to disregard what we did at U-19 level at all. It was a massive achievement for us and one that we are still incredibly proud of, but I think this one would certainly mean a hell of a lot more.”

Captain’s role

Other than more off-field commitments to manage, Markram did not feel that a World Cup tournament added much more in terms of what was usually required from him as the leader of the side.

“I don’t take too much from it. I see it as a completely different level of cricket and obviously it was a long time ago,” the skipper said.

“There’s not too much difference for a captain, I don’t think. Your main focus is to keep the team in a really positive space and ideally help everyone believe that they’re backed… so it’s a challenge, as always, but it’s a challenge I really enjoy.”

The first match of the T20 World Cup will be played between co-costs the United States and Group A opponents Canada in Dallas at 2.30am (SA time) on Sunday morning.

South Africa will play their opening Group D match against Sri Lanka in New York on Monday (4.30pm).