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Aiden Markram loved beating the Aussies in stellar first season
The rookie Proteas opener took to international cricket like a duck to water but he had his moments of difficulty too.
Aiden Markram of the Proteas during day 1 of the 4th Sunfoil Test match between South Africa and Australia at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on March 30, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
Aiden Markram picked beating Australia this past season as his highlight of a first international campaign where he made the highest level of the game look relatively easy.
The 23-year-old scored exactly 1 000 Test runs, batting at an average of 55.55.
In the series named as his highlight, the young opener recorded two of his four centuries to date as well as a half-century.
“It was definitely beating the Australians,” he responded when asked about his best moments thus far.
“It was a very eventful series, a very heated series, so it was nice to have gotten over them. It was brilliant to have been able to be part of this great series.”
Another stand-out moment was undoubtedly the awarding of the Proteas’s ODI captaincy at the tender age of 23.
Markram was thrust into the hot seat after a mid-series injury to Faf du Plessis against India, a tough ask for the young man as the hosts ended up heavily beaten.
“I learnt a lot in that month, probably the most I’ve learnt in my whole career,” he said.
“You get given the captaincy and you have to sort of make a plan and try to do well.
“But I enjoyed the challenge and there’s probably a few things I would change if I could go back in time. Overall, I enjoyed it and relished the pressure. I was grateful for the opportunity.”
Markram’s stature in the world game has continued to grow since his debut against Bangladesh last October.
He has already risen to eighth on the ICC batting rankings after only 10 Tests.
The youngster conceded that he did not expect to have such a blockbuster season and thanked opening partner Dean Elgar for playing a key role in his rise.
He added: “There’s no way that I expected the season to turn out the way it did. But I’m really grateful to have the first season go the way it did.
“At the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of an opening batter to try and get his team off to a good start.
“A lot of credit must go to Dean for helping me settle into the spot. But there’s a lot of learning still taking place and I’m really fortunate how things panned out.”
