Markram a class apart for South Africa
Aiden Markram is in a class of his own when it comes to South African cricket.
The 27-year-old is the only male or female player to lift an ICC trophy for the Proteas after he captained the Under-19s to glory at the 50-over World Cup in 2014.
But if things go to plan come the end of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Temba Bavuma will join him in that exclusive club.
And as it stands, Markram is single-handedly doing his best to drag his team towards the semi-finals, showing terrific form with the bat in the UAE, the very same place where he tasted glory seven years ago.
In the Proteas’ Super 12s opener against Australia, the team struggled, posting just 118 for nine when batting first but Markram’s standout showing was an anomaly.
A fluent 40 off 36 balls was a lone hand in a disappointing start to the tournament as, despite a strong reply with the ball, an under-par total proved costly in a five-wicket defeat.
South Africa knew that defeat to the West Indies would leave their hopes of making the semi-finals hanging by a thread and Markram played a starring role with bat and ball when it mattered most.
Tasked with opening the bowling, the part-timer went for four from the opening over of the contest and remarkably recorded a maiden in the third over.
Perhaps getting greedy, his skipper Bavuma handed him a third straight over which this time went for 18 runs as Evin Lewis plundered two sixes and a four from his final three balls.
However, figures of none for 22 from three overs at the top, including 11 dot balls, are not to be sniffed at.
Faced with a potentially tricky chase, needing 144 to win, South Africa lost Bavuma early and although Reeza Hendricks’ 39 off 30 helped keep them up with the rate, the game was very much still firmly in the balance when Markram arrived at 61 for two in the tenth over.
But a blistering display of power-hitting took the game completely away from the West Indies as Markram brought up his 50 from just 25 balls, striking at an incredible rate of 200 with four sixes and two fours to boot.
Fittingly, he hit the winning single, to finish on 51 not out off 26, after excelling as the aggressor in a match-winning partnership of 83 in 57 balls alongside Rassie van der Dussen, who anchored the innings with 43 off 51.
South Africa’s commanding eight-wicket win keeps them in the hunt in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage and their star batter appears to have hit the ground running courtesy of a spell in the UAE for the IPL with the Punjab Kings.
Before the ICC Men’s World T20 2021 started, he spoke about his time at the IPL and said: "It was very enjoyable. Obviously different to how other teams work. It was nice to experience it.
“It was nice to see the conditions where we are going to play the World Cup. That was also a big positive. A lot of learning took place. It was a good few weeks that I was with the Kings.
“It is also quite a high-pressure tournament, and it was good to be exposed to such quality cricket and be exposed to some legends of T20 cricket.”
Markram also plucked a tremendous diving catch out of the sky against Australia to dismiss Steve Smith, proving he is a real force to be reckoned with in all three facets of the shortest form of the game.
If teams are to stop South Africa, the key could rest in keeping the man once earmarked by Graeme Smith as a future Test captain quiet.