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Proteas hitter Aiden Markram
Images of Isuru Sameera / Gallo
- Proteas hitter Aiden Markram admitted that test captaincy is not his top priority as he seeks to secure his spot on the test side.
- Markram is expected to play his first international game for the Proteas this year ahead of Saturday’s first Test at Centurion.
- He said the national shutdown turned out to be a “blessing in disguise.”
Star batter Aiden markram He insists the captaincy is not on his radar as he seeks to cement his place in the Proteas Test squad.
Since 2014, Markram has been considered a future test captain when he led the SA U19s to their first ICC World Cup trophy.
Since then Markram has led South Africa ‘A’, the Titans and has even captained the Proteas in five ODIs against India in 2018.
The 26-year-old was appointed as a possible test pattern candidate after Faf du Plessis resigned from his post earlier this year.
Quinton de Kock, the limited-limit proteas patron, agreed to temporarily lead the Proteas ahead of their busy 2020/21 season until a long-term appointment could be arranged.
Markram, who is expected to play his first game for the Proteas this year, stated that his main goal at the moment was to cement his place on the Test side.
“The captaincy is something that I really enjoy doing, but I haven’t focused much on it,” Markram told reporters ahead of the opening test against Sri Lanka.
“Now I’m in a position where I’m playing for my place again, so for me to think about the captaincy, it’s certainly not on my radar at all.
“I need to score a lot of runs for my country and it’s something I’ve tackled before and I know I haven’t been good enough in the last 18 months. If I get a chance to play, it’s about scoring a lot of runs.”
Markram, who has played 20 events to date, has been in good contact this season so far in the 4-day Franchise Series.
The Titans hitter is currently the second leading scorer in runs so far with 544 runs in its five games, which included three centuries.
Markram credits the coronavirus-induced lockdown as a reason for its national success.
“The time we had off during the confinement was great, it was a blessing in disguise for me,” he said.
“It was great to get in touch with things that helped me in the past and to clear my mind, get all cloudy thoughts out, and get more clarity on future game plans.
“It’s a little different mentally, it’s a step up and you want to perform on the big stage. It’s been good to be able to spend time in the middle at the franchise level, and get a little bit of confidence from that.”
The first test between the Proteas and Sri Lanka begins on Saturday at SuperSport Park, Centurion.
The game starts at 10:00.
