South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince showered praise on Aiden Markram’s big-match temperament after the World Test Championship final five-wicket win against Australia at Lord’s on Saturday. Markram scored a brilliant knock of 136 runs off 207 balls as he batted at the top of his game against a quality Australian bowling line-up.
The 30-year-old looked in complete control and didn’t play one false shot throughout his innings. Thus, Markram played a key role in South Africa’s memorable run chase of 282.
The flamboyant batter added a match-winning alliance of 147 runs with his captain, Temba Bavuma to get South Africa close to the target.
“We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt,” Ashwell Prince said in the post-match press conference.
“He has done some technical work, but not a lot. In the last little while, he has had a tendency to push his hands away from his body and cut across the ball, but it was not a big fix, and as soon as he saw a few videos, it was simple.”
Prince, the former left-hander, showered praise on head coach Shukri Conrad for getting the best out of the players.
“I think [coach] Shukri Conrad deserves credit for staying calm; it is one of his strengths.”
“As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs, he said we need to do the same tonight as we always do, and tomorrow we do the same warm-up. It’s the same processes. We understand the magnitude and what’s at stake, but now we stay calm.”
South Africa was finally able to end their title drought after 27 years and after a lot of heartbreak, they deserve all the credit. The Proteas were able to come up with a collective show and got the job done as a unit.
