South Africa has a long history of strong captains like Kepler Wessels, Shaun Pollock, and Graeme Smith, but none have managed to guide the team to a World Cup trophy. Now, Aiden Markram has the chance to become the chosen one, leading the team to their first ever T20 World Cup victory.
Markram is confident in his team’s ability to perform under pressure, highlighting their success in crucial moments throughout the tournament. “We have won three or four crucial moments in tight games in this tournament. This has given our team the belief that we can win from any position,” Markram stated at a press conference.
He emphasized the team’s strong desire to win, fueled by their past failures on the world stage. “There is a strong will to win. It’s an extreme hunger to win cricket games. We have not achieved what we would have liked to on the world stage. I think that gets the juices going for all of us,” Markram said.
The South African pace attack has been a key factor in their success, and Markram credits the understanding and experience they have built together over the years. “We’ve been together for a few years now, and we have a good understanding between us. This will help us with the small margins. It was not me who got us here. It is down to the squad that has been on a journey to our first final,” he said.
Markram is also appreciative of the support from past South African players and captains. “There has been a lot of support from our past players. These are guys who inspired us when we were younger. To make them proud and to have their support means a lot to us,” the 29-year-old said.
With the final approaching, Markram and his team are ready to take on the challenge and aim to make history for South African cricket.
