South Africa captain Aiden Markram will look to end his T20I half-century drought when his team faces Australia in the third and final T20I decider. The South Africa vs Australia T20I series is locked at 1-1, with the final clash promising high stakes.
Markram has endured a lean patch in the format, last scoring a T20I fifty in October 2022 against India at Perth. In that match, he struck a match-winning 52 while chasing 134 in the ICC , T20 World Cup.
Since then, the skipper has managed 555 runs in 30 T20Is at an average of 21.34 and a strike rate of 138.40. His best score in this period is 49, and he has crossed 20 runs only 11 times in 30 innings.
Markram’s Strong Overall T20 Record Offers Hope
In contrast, his overall T20 career remains solid, with 2,513 runs at an average of 27.92, a strike rate of over 133, and 14 scores above fifty, including one century.
Markram’s recent form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Lucknow Super Giants offers optimism. He scored 445 runs in 13 matches at an average of 34.23 and a strike rate of 148.82, including five half-centuries.
Skipper Confirms Opening Role Until T20 World Cup
Ahead of the decider, Markram confirmed he will keep opening for the next six months leading to the T20 World Cup.
“Going through our squads and (looking at) the players that we have got around, we think that is the best fit,” said Markram as quoted by cricket.com.au.
“We have got some guys in the middle order that are really destructive, a lot more destructive than myself.”
“And we feel it is better off for me and Ricks (Rickelton) to be up top.
I did it a bit at the IPL, I am starting to do it now again at international cricket. It is an exciting role. It is nice to be able to bat in the Powerplay,” he concluded.
However, his T20I numbers as an opener remain a concern — just 56 runs in five innings with a best score of 18.
South Africa T20I Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen.
Australia T20I Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa.
Stay tuned for all the Cricket News, Match Predictions, Fantasy Tips, and Cricket updates!
