(AP Photo)
South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, is optimistic about the possibility of becoming the first South African captain to win a significant ICC trophy. The Proteas are set to make their debut in the USA at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, facing off against the 2014 champions, Sri Lanka, at the Nassau County Stadium in New York. For Markram and his team to secure the T20 World Cup for the first time, they need to start the tournament on a strong note with a victory and secure two crucial points.
In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia, South Africa was eliminated in the group stages under the captaincy of Temba Bavuma. They had begun with consecutive wins over Bangladesh and India, following a tie against Zimbabwe that was abandoned. However, their journey ended with losses to Pakistan and the Netherlands in their last two group matches.
What did Aiden Markram say?
During a press conference in New York, on the day before South Africa’s match against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2024, Aiden Markram discussed his team’s tactics. He emphasized the significance of evaluating the pitch conditions on the day of the game and the ability to quickly adapt to those conditions.
Markram also mentioned that playing in New York for the World Cup was an unexpected and exciting prospect for him and his team.
“On the day we will have to assess really quickly and then adapt plans that will help us do well. It is an exciting day; we didn’t think we would ever be playing a World Cup game in New York.” – Markram told reporters in New York.
In contrary to the Indian team’s views on the training facilities provided in the USA, Markram was more than satisfied with the facility and called it beautiful. “It’s a beautiful training facility and we will get a first look at the stadium and the pitch later to assess things.” – Markram added.
Markam says he’s confident about South Africa’s title-winning prospects
“We are used to mostly playing in the evenings, but we have had a routine since we got here to wake up early and do things together as a team early in the mornings. By now, we are used to it.”
Markam says he’s confident about South Africa’s title-winning prospects
Aiden Markram then expressed his confidence about being able to lift the T20 World Cup at last in this edition. He admitted that the core unit knows that if they get into their best form, then no team will be able to beat them and for that, they have put a lot of focus on themselves.
“I am feeling quietly confident. We feel if we find our form and play to the best of our ability, we can beat anyone. We have put a lot of focus on ourselves and we will see where it gets us. But we are certainly here to lift the trophy.” – Aiden Markram concluded.
