Markram Explains Rationale Behind Opening: 'Got Some Guys In The Middle...'
South Africa captain Aiden Markram will keep opening in T20Is to fit middle-order batsmen. The series against Australia is tied 1-1, with the decider.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram stated that he will continue his new role as the opener in the T20I team to accommodate more middle-order batsmen. 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.
Markram had a successful IPL 2025 as an opener for Lucknow Super Giants, scoring five fifties in 13 innings at a strike rate of 148.82. However, he has not scored beyond fifty in T20Is since October 2022.
'Going through our squads and the players that we've got around, we think probably that (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 feel probably it's better off for me and Ricks (Ryan Rickelton) to be up top."
'I did it a bit at the IPL and am starting to do it now again at 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," said Markram to reporters on Friday.
Markram's opening partnerships with Rickelton have resulted in scores of 12 and 34. Although number three batsman Lhuan-dre Pretorius is yet to perform, Dewald Brevis brought cheer by scoring an unbeaten 125 in the second T20I.
'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," he added.
With South Africa having won only one of their last nine bilateral T20I series, including losing the tri-series final to New Zealand, Markram's focus is on reversing that record on Saturday. '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 (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."
(With inputs from IANS)
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First Published:
August 15, 2025, 19:55 IST
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