With Aiden Markram leading the team, South Africa is “definitely hungry” to win its first T20 World Cup. The 29-year-old on his first game as Proteas skipper said that it was “completely unexpected” for him.
When Markram assumed leadership of South Africa for an opening match in 2018, he was just 23 years old. The team went on to lose to India, captained by Virat Kohli, 5-1.
Markram expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and stated that he has no regrets regarding the series. “I would never regret becoming your national team’s captain. In retrospect, I’m glad I was able to learn from it even though at the time it was clearly not the best series for our team,” Markram told Star Sports.
After winning the 2014 U-19 World Cup, Makram became the first captain from South Africa to guide his side to a major tournament.
“It was fantastic to be honest. Completely unexpected, obviously, getting the captaincy then, but the learning that was able to take place from going through that experience of that series was great. Obviously, at the time it was not ideal, having lost badly, but you look at it in hindsight and you almost become grateful for that. I learned quite a bit through that series and had some really awesome senior players guiding me while I was out there as well, which sort of helps you grow a lot as a captain and as a player,” added the 29-year-old.
Along with Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Nepal, this match will be in Group D.
According to Markram, the team is eager to compete in the T20 World Cup. Markram team hopes to win their first ICC title.
On Monday, South Africa will take on Sri Lanka in their first T20 World Cup match. Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York will hold the match.
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