Prince hails centurion Markram but says South Africa must ‘stay calm'
Ashwell Prince labelled Aiden Markram the 'man for the big occasion' after the opener steered South Africa towards a famous run chase in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025.
Chasing 282 to win, South Africa are 213 for two at the end of day three thanks to a majestic century from Markram and gutsy 65 not out from captain Temba Bavuma.
South Africa need just 69 more runs to become champions and while Australia will refuse to give up hope of a remarkable comeback, the Proteas are firmly in the driving seat as they bid for a first ICC trophy in 27 years.
Markram struck 11 fours in an unbeaten 102, bringing up his eighth Test ton with a gorgeous flick through mid-wicket in the penultimate over of the day.
He struggled to contain his emotions, wiping tears away from his eyes, and batting coach Prince said a small technical adjustment was the secret to his success.
'We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt,' the former middle-order batter said.
'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.
'Albeit in a losing cause at Newlands, on a difficult pitch, he played an unbelievable innings against India last year and scored a ton on that surface – so we know what he is capable of.
'I think [coach] Shukri Conrad deserves credit for staying calm, it is one of his strengths.
'As soon as Aidan 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.'
It didn't always appear to be South Africa's day.
They started Friday morning seeking two quick Australian wickets to leave the target as low as possible, but – despite Kagiso Rabada trapping Nathan Lyon lbw early – Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood dug in.
They put on 59 for the 10th wicket and batted for the entire morning session, with Hazlewood finally out to the last ball before lunch to leave the target at 282.
From there, it was all South Africa. While Australia benefited from benign conditions on a flat pitch to convert 144 for eight into 207 all out under the morning sun, it was the Proteas' turn for the rest of the day.
Starc removed Ryan Rickelton for six but a 63-run partnership between Markram and Wiaan Mulder settled the nerves, with runs flowing amid regular boundaries.
A sharp Marnus Labuschagne catch sent Mulder back to the pavilion for 27, while Steve Smith dropped Bavuma on two – and dislocated his finger in the process, earning him a trip to hospital for the rest of the day.
However, after that scare, Bavuma oozed class despite damaging his hamstring in the afternoon session.
Prince admits they considered retiring him during the tea interval but the captain insisted he could carry on and he hit five boundaries in a 121-ball knock.
'It is not done yet but he has had to fight throughout his career and this could be a defining moment for his career,' Prince added.
'It is the biggest stage in Test cricket. He is tough, Aiden has great respect for Temba and I think this team's greatest asset is the unity.
'You only have to look at how they celebrate a wicket to understand that. They are all aware that South Africa have had greater individual players but they have something special going on in the dressing room and it helps them drag each other along.'
While 69 runs is not an intimidating number of runs to score, keeping South Africa's batters level-headed is now the challenge.
Much has been made of their record in ICC tournaments – they have come close to adding to their ICC Men's Champions Trophy 1998 success on many occasions but always fallen short – but this is their greatest opportunity of breaking the duck.
'I don't know how I will sleep tonight,' Prince joked.
'I felt the message has been the same throughout. We just want to make them believe that they can do it and then step out the way and allow them to do it.'
ENDS
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