Aiden Markram Commends South African Greats Ahead of Final Clash

The South Africa Team Captain Aiden Markam has qualified for the first time in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, which will be played in Barbados

This was Aiden Markam’s first tournament as captain, he was appointed by the South Africa Cricket Board in 2023.

South Africa had made seven appearances in the World Cup semifinals before this T20 World Cup; their most recent participation was in the Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal, where they were defeated by Australia. After that, the Kangaroos won the World Cup for a record-breaking sixth time.

Aiden Markram, though, has great respect for the former South African cricket players since they motivated the current squad to represent their nation.

“They were guys that are legends of the game, legends of South African cricket. In my eyes, it doesn’t matter if they made a final or not, because they inspired all of us to play cricket for South Africa. Because of them, we’re trying to represent those people that have played before us, so we’re glad we’ve made them proud, (and) to an extent I still feel we’ve got one more step left,” Markram stated in the post-match press conference after defeating Afghanistan in the semi-final.

Markram and South Africa, the only undefeated team in the competition, have had an incredible run in the T20 World Cup 2024. They have participated in and won all four group stages, three Super 8 games, and a semi-final.

The South African captain provided details on their starting lineup for the Barbados final at the press conference, saying, “We’re happy with the squad that we have here.” Not only the XI is participating. It’s a tremendous team effort. And you choose your starting eleven depending on the circumstances. That is the sole focus.

“So once we get to Barbados and we see what we think we’re going to come across in terms of the pitch, then we’ll try to pick our best XI. But we’re really happy as a white-ball group where we are and the options that we do have when it comes to selection,” he added.

South Africa narrowly fell to the USA and subsequently to England in the Super 8, but ultimately emerged victors. Markram thinks that the team does feel more confident after winning close games.

“You do get belief though from winning close games and potentially winning games that you thought you weren’t going to win. It does a lot for your changing room and the vibe in the changing room. So we’ll take a little bit of confidence from that and see if we can put it to any use in the final.”