South Africa captain Aiden Markram has stated that he will continue his new role as the opener in the T20I team in order to accommodate more middle-order batters. The three-match T20I series between South Africa and Australia is currently tied at 1-1, with the decider scheduled to be played in Cairns on Saturday August 16th.
Markram had a successful IPL 2025 as an opener for Lucknow Super Giants as he scored 5 fifties in 13 innings at a strike rate of 148.82. However, he has failed to score beyond fifty in T20Is since October 2022.
Aiden Markram gives his thoughts on opening the batting
Speaking to reporters, Markram remarked: “Going through our squads and the players that we’ve got around, we think probably opening is the best fit. We’ve got some guys in the middle order that are a lot more destructive than I am, and we fell probably it’s better off for me and Ricks to be up top.”
He further added: “I did it a bit at the IPL and am starting to do it now again in international cricket. It’s an exciting role. It’s always nice to bat in the powerplay, and the focus is to get the team off to good starts.”
Markram’s opening partnerships with Rickelton have resulted in scores of 12 and 34. Although number three batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius is yet to perform, Dewald Brevis brought loads of cheer to the side as he scored a match winning 125 in the second T20I in Darwin.
Aiden Markram’s Thoughts on Bowling a Few Overs when required.
Aiden Markram also offers an off-spin bowling option for those who do not know about this. He has occasionally taken the new ball and managed to dismiss Travis Head in the second T20I in Darwin. He further added: “It’s very much a feel thing. It’s quite a daunting task. You just see the ball flying nowadays, and I’m not so sure I really want to be a bowler.”
He added: “But there’ll be occasions where you feel like the wicket might be on the slower side or might offer something, and you sort of take that punt. The way I try to operate is just go on my gut feel, whatever my gut’s telling me in the moment, run with that and back that and reflect on what could have been and what should have been possibly after the game.”
Aiden Markram gives his thoughts on how South Africa are progressing ahead of T20 World Cup
South Africa have won just one out of their last nine bilateral T20I series and it also includes losing the tri-series final to New Zealand where in that tournament, South Africa lost to New Zealand thrice in three games. Aiden Markram’s focus is on reversing that record on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “It feels like we are moving in the right direction. The series has been good so far. Our bowlers have performed well.”
“The previous game made our batters look good, but it was very much an individual performance where Brevis hit an unbeaten 125. So, a nice challenge for our batters tomorrow to hopefully click and for them to put on a good score.”
What Lies Ahead
So, the stage is set for the deciding T20I to take place in Cairns on Saturday August 16th at 2:45 PM IST. Australia and South Africa are locked at 1-1 and it’s all to play for in a winner’s take all battle. It’s all about which team holds their nerve in this third game.
Will Australia pull off another series win and beat South Africa again in a bilateral series? Or will South Africa with renewed confidence under their belt carry on the renewed momentum and focus to win a bilateral series in Australia after a long time. Can South Africa create a bit of history? Well, only time will tell as we get set for the decider in Cairns and it will be interesting to see how the pitch plays out as well.
Also Read: AUS vs SA: Dewald Brevis’ Barnstorming Ton Floors Australia