Markram: We could win if we play two-test series within the WTC cycle

Or at least, three days before the most important Test matches in his and his teammate’s lives, Aiden Markram came up with and is adhering to that line. One unforeseen advantage of South Africa’s two-Test series schedule during the World Test Championship is that it helps them get off to a fast start, which might be useful in a one-off final.

“You can’t start sluggish if you want to win since many of our matches have been two-game series. That has aided us in our journey,” Markram remarked following South Africa’s initial Lord’s training session. “We are aware of the significance of getting off to a strong start, attempting to get ahead of the game early, and how crucial each session will be. There isn’t a second chance. On the first day, we must make sure we are sharp and get off to a quick start.”

During their 2012 tour to England, where South Africa looked sluggish and England reached 267 for 3 on the opening day, it was a notable instance of South Africa’s slow pace of play. Even though they had a whole new generation of players, they came back to win that match, the series, and the mace. Because of how few Test matches South Africa has played, they do not have the luxury of taking their time in a one-off final, nor have they had it throughout the cycle. When they sent an under-strength team to New Zealand in February 2022, thereby forfeiting a series, they had to win seven of their next eight Test matches, and they could not afford to make a mistake.

Even still, there are questions about whether a side that hasn’t played a Test in six months and whose warm-up game consisted of just one full day of cricket would be prepared for a Lord’s encounter, particularly with regard to their batting lineup. In addition to being one of just three batsmen (Markram and Kyle Verreynne being the other two) to have achieved a Test hundred before October, Temba Bavuma is the only player in the top seven to have played more than 50 Test matches.

Particularly when contrasted with the opposite situation in the Australian camp, South Africa’s lack of experience is striking. For example, Steven Smith has played two fewer Test matches than the combined totals of South Africa’s top seven players sans Bavuma: Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, and Verreynne. It is well known that South Africa’s batting is their weakest area, so everyone will be watching to see how they respond to Australia’s highly anticipated assault. Markram is aware of this and feels prepared after a few days of facing his own bowlers in the nets.

“When you’re opening the batting, obviously your responsibility is to calm the changing room down, get the team off to a good start and get us ahead of the game,” he stated. That’s what excites us, and that’s the challenge. Even while it can be uncomfortable at times, it can only benefit you as a batter when you’re practicing against world-class bowlers. However, that’s the yardstick by which you assess your level of skill.

With five fifties from 13 IPL innings, Markram believes he is in fine form after facing Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen for a long time at Lord’s on Sunday. “I feel fine. He remarked, “I think I’m moving well.” “It was excellent to enter a game with a positive attitude, even if the IPL is obviously a totally different structure. It’s nice to be in that frame of mind right now, because when you’re feeling this way, it’s all about making money and trying to help the team.”

As the only other captain to lead South Africa in an ICC event final this millennium (Hansie Cronje led them in the 1998 Wills International Cup final), Markram also has the distinction of having done so twice. Markram oversaw the South Africa U-19 team’s victories in the 2014 age-group World Cup and the senior team’s run to the Barbados T20 World Cup final last year. The latter was the culmination of a few weeks of intense play as South Africa advanced to the final with eight straight victories. They have now won seven straight Test matches. Are there any parallels?

“It has a different feeling, to be very honest,” Markram remarked.

“I believe it seems a little different, at least for the moment, because it’s a one-off game and there hasn’t been a build-up to it. Perhaps everything will suddenly line up the night before. However, for the time being, it feels different. Additionally, being aware that cricket takes place across several days rather than just three hours.”

This South African side cannot be grouped with the ODI and T20I teams that did not make it to the finals because of all the factors that make red- and white-ball cricket different (time, pressure, and storyline), although subtleties are sometimes overlooked. South Africa is aware of this, so “the few of us that have been a part of previous ICC events that didn’t go our way have dealt with it, chatted to each other and made sure we’ve buried it and taken some good lessons from it” , Markram stated. “From now on, it’s more about the excitement of having another opportunity to do the job.”

And it will call for balanced temperaments and an awareness that they must get off to a strong start. “It’s about each guy making sure that they don’t peak too early and get too excited too early, because then you end up draining yourself,” Markram stated. “So, instead of trying to get everything out in one session, manage your loads and specificity at training. This way, by the time you reach day one, you’ll feel like you’ve checked all the boxes, but it hasn’t been at 100 miles per hour. The format of the Test match must be adhered to. From an energetic and psychological perspective, it drains you of a great deal. On the first day, we must be rested and prepared.