Markram's match-winning ton earns him place in South African sporting folklore
LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - South Africa's batting hero Aiden Markram has taken longer than expected to deliver on his promise, but a match-winning century against Australia in the World Test Championship final is being hailed as the biggest in the country's cricketing history.
The 30-year-old captained South Africa to success at the U-19 World Cup a decade ago but his senior career had only seen occasional glimpses of immense potential.
However, his 136 for South Africa in the second innings at Lord's took the country to their first major cricketing triumph after decades of failure and ensured Markram a place in South African sporting folklore.
Markram made his test debut at age 22, heartbreakingly run out on 97, and has since scored eight centuries and 13 fifties. But his average of 36.50 has been below expectation.
He came into the WTC final without a century in his last 16 test knocks and failed to get on the board in the first innings.
But when Markram returned to the crease on Friday, it was with an air of authority, albeit playing with circumspection and making the use of the sudden change in conditions after two days of dominance by the bowlers.
'I haven't scored more important runs. It's weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. You need a bit of luck, spending time in the middle and finding runs. I'm glad things worked out,' he told reporters as South Africa celebrated on Saturday.
His plan in the second innings was to absorb the pressure but maximise scoring off loose balls, he added.
There was also an early crisis to navigate when captain Temba Bavuma struggled with a hamstring strain as the pair began to put together what turned out to be a match-winning partnership.
But Markram insisted Bavuma stay on despite it slowing down the accumulation of runs.
'Aiden is unbelievable, people have questioned his place, but he has character. He played in true Aiden fashion,' said Bavuma, whose 66-run contribution was also a factor.
Markram looked to be in tears after reaching three figures late on Friday. 'Lord's is the place every test cricketer wants to play,' he explained.
'To play a final here is incredibly special. It's one of the most special days.'
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