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CNA
a day ago
- Sport
- CNA
Markram's match-winning ton earns him place in South African sporting folklore
LONDON :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.'
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
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.'
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Temba Bavuma and South Africa's unlikely triumph shows why Test cricket is worth saving
Cradling the Test mace, soaking up the sweet taste of success, Temba Bavuma perhaps took a moment to reflect on a long and unlikely journey to the top of the world. Many a great South African captain had tried and failed to lead their side to this sort of triumph, many a team of top talents falling short, the Protea name becoming a byword for blunders with the line in sight. And so it took the lad from Langa, all of five-foot-four in his spikes but a towering figure in so many senses, to overcome the derision and doubters to lead the Rainbow Nation to unlikely cricketing glory. While his tale is well told, it is worth reflecting again on the barriers Bavuma had to overcome. When first picked, certain sections of South Africa suggested a Black batter had been picked only due to transformation targets; after cementing himself in the side and earning an elevation, they questioned his captaincy. The critics are quieter now. For this victory is a story of resilience and breaking barriers, both personally and for the team. It is impossible to disentangle the story of South African cricket from matters of race, not least due to the 22-year isolation under the apartheid regime. Further back, their first series against Australia in 1902 featured a standout performance from Charlie 'Buck' Llewellyn, the first non-white South African Test cricketer – there would not be another until 1992. Until Bavuma's breakthrough hundred in Cape Town in 2016, no Black player had ever made a century for South Africa. But a team broadly drawn and led superbly by their captain, who averages nigh on 50 in the last five years, are Test champions of the world against all odds. There were plenty of detractors and doubters who felt it unfair that South Africa had played a softer schedule on their way to this final but over three-and-a-bit days they have proved themselves as worthy winners. 'I think this team's greatest strength is its unity,' batting coach Ashwell Prince said after day three. 'They are well aware that South Africa have had much greater individual players, but there is something special going on in our dressing room. 'If I'm honest, there was no talk about proving anybody wrong. There was a lot of talk about our route to the final, who we played against, and people have their opinions about that. We'd love to play against everybody more often – especially if there are big-money series where we can make some money.' Prince's words felt important because beyond the triumph lies cause for concern. This showpiece occasion displayed the best of Test cricket and yet there will be no triumphant homecoming scheduled for the champions, with no home five-day fixture scheduled for South Africa's men in their upcoming summer. It is little more than a year since Dean Elgar, Bavuma's predecessor as skipper, retired from his favourite format citing a lack of fixtures. Changes may be on the way to a World Test Championship that has brought certain benefits in contextualising long-form cricket but just as many headaches and headlines. At launch, the concept of the final was controversial yet it has been a welcome addition, heightening the stakes and each time producing a compelling contest. It is thought that the game is set to remain in England for the next few editions. Lord's has felt an appropriate venue for the fixture given its history and prestige, and has looked resplendent with close to capacity crowds and the sun beating down. Aided by immigration, the sheer interest in Test cricket in London ensures that tickets will be snapped up virtually regardless of who is involved - and the South African diaspora were in great voice throughout the final. There will understandably be a temptation to take it to the giant Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad given India's power within the game and population but the swathes of empty seats that this game might have been played to there would not have been a great look. The Pakistan issue would pose another problem. The final's position in the calendar may need some thought, though, following as it does the big block of white-ball cricket caused by the IPL. Both South Africa and Australia's batters looked lacking in preparation in the first innings particularly, with no real time to groove their techniques against the moving red ball. Indeed, the final reflected a trend more broadly of faster, more frantic Tests. 2024 was the year with the lowest bowling strike rate of any in the longest format since 1907 – though run rates are generally on the rise, too. Within that, though, may be an answer to some of the issues bedevilling Test cricket. Four-day encounters remain rarities within the schedule but with fewer and fewer encounters extending to a full 15 sessions, there is surely an argument to explore the possibility of contracting slightly. When accounting for a slight reduction in rest between Tests, a three-match series made up of games comprised of four days could be squeezed in significantly quicker than those held over five. It will perhaps feel anathema for the purists to reduce the ebb and flow that makes this game so engaging but a look at the landscape shows that something must be done. There has not been a single three-match Test series not involving at least one of England, Australia and India since 2019, a preference for short and sharp series not allowing narratives to build. In that sense, three times four is surely better than two times five. Fears over the competitive fairness in the World Test Championship are somewhat undermined by the convolution that already exists, with nations not playing identical schedules and contesting series of different lengths. Some would suggest that such a condensing could lead to a predominance of draws yet such dispiriting results have been all but eroded from the game as currently constructed – and the increased time pressures could lead to bolder captaincy to add yet more tactical complexity. The other option, of course, would be a fairer sharing of the revenue, but the economic heft that India provides the game somewhat understandably sees it hoard much of its wealth. It does feel slightly jarring to see the gaudy sums on offer in franchise cricket, though, when nations like Ireland are unable to schedule the Test cricket they need to develop due to financial concerns. The idea of two divisions will not go away – it will be divisive but should it provide the fixtures that smaller nations need, there are worse ideas. One would not have confidence that the necessary scheduling safeguards would be in place in such a scenario. But there is clearly something to savour and take solace in here. The final progressed at breakneck speed for two days and clearly mattered much, every ball an event, the themes and throughlines evident. Test cricket has been fortunate for figures like Pat Cummins, Ben Stokes, Kagiso Rabada, Virat Kohli and others for championing it through word and deed. And the sight of Bavuma clutching the ultimate prize at Lord's is an image that deserves to endure.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Kagiso Rabada lets his bowling do the talking — but Australian seamers have telling say
A great many ills ail South African cricket but there is one area in which the nation is in rude health. The form and fortunes of the side may have fluctuated since their re-admittance to the Test game in 1992 but found always within the undulating terrain have been fast bowling riches, diamonds of seam and swing quarried out of the earth. Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock were followed by Makhaya Ntini, who carried the side through to Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander, the trio tessellating with complementary skills in the last South African Test team to conquer the world. If another coronation is to come this weekend then a sparkling showing by the latest jewel in the South African crown will have had a major part to play. These can not have been straightforward weeks for Kagiso Rabada, dealing first with the speculation that filled a sudden and initially unexplained absence from the Indian Premier League and then the repairing of relationships required by the disclosure of a positive test for a recreational drug. Ban served in time to take the field for this World Test Championship final at Lord's, the great Rabada let his bowling do the talking. After re-arranging Mitchell Starc 's furniture to complete a wonderful 5-51, there was no grand gesture or overzealous celebration, no nod at the noise that had surrounded him; a quiet character at heart was content to take his teammates' embrace and gently lift the ball towards the pavilion having moved past Donald's tally for outright fourth on the list of South African Test wicket-takers and helped dismiss Australia for 212. The problem for the Proteas is that their final foes are just as resource rich. Come the close, the defending champions were already on top, 22 almost faultless overs delivered largely by Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood ripping through the South African top order, exposing the stark dichotomy between their seam strength and relative batting weakness. There was nothing loose on which to latch; Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickleton and Wiaan Mulder all fell cheaply trying to force the pace before Tristan Stubbs let one slip through the gate. It took Temba Bavuma 31 balls to escape the straitjacket and get off the mark – plenty of graft will be required to erase an overnight deficit of 169, which looks large at this juncture if Australia continue in such style. South Africa will surely have felt a perhaps necessary first-innings lead was within reach after Rabada's brilliant burst. It had been a strange Australian innings brought crashing down by two separate collapses. While half-centuries from Steve Smith and Beau Webster lifted Australia from a shaky start through an afternoon session of relative calm, a morning of 69/4 dealt irrevocable damage before Rabada returned to clean up the tail in a remarkable post-tea period of five wickets for 30 runs. Among a competitive field, Rabada is perhaps the purest pace bowler South Africa have ever produced, an immaculate action and complete toolbox taking him to record after record. He is durable, too, in part because of the economy of his approach, smooth speed generated without undue contortion or stressing of the sinews. In Marco Jansen, he has found a fine foil, the left-armer adding venom and variety alongside his new-ball partner. It had been bright sunshine rather than slate skies expected to greet the two teams at Lord's this week but on a mizzly morning, the venom and variety that has helped the Proteas make an unlikely run to this showpiece left the defending champions firmly on the back foot. A gloom still engulfed Lord's as Bavuma won a good toss, the moisture clearing but the floodlights very much on for the opening session. Australia were soon trudging in the mire. Their recent predilection has been for a dasher at the top of the order to go with the doughtier Khawaja, David Warner replaced latterly by youngster Sam Konstas and, in a conditions specific move in Sri Lanka, Travis Head. Labuschagne, however, shares his partner's preference to soak up pressure rather than transfer it, the new-look opening duo preparing to be patient with heavy clouds cloaking the ground. Khawaja was extracted after 20 scoreless balls, pouched safely by David Bedingham at first slip having been squared up by Rabada, who soon struck again. Labuschagne's elevation to open in turn saw Cameron Green pushed up to three – which also proved the ball that dismissed him as Aiden Markram's sharp snag at second slip made sure of another strike in the over. Labuschagne crawled only to 17 before he, too, feathered an edge through off Jansen. When Head – match-winner against India two years ago – fell cheaply to the lanky left-armer thanks to an outstanding catch down the leg-side from Kyle Verreynne, South Africa were cock-a-hoop. They might have made more of their early ascendancy, too, Smith surviving a tight review before the interval before Beau Webster escaped an LBW thanks to a phantom inside-edge, the umpire and South Africa seeing ghosts even with the Australian stone dead in front. Smith appeared to be making serene progress towards another Lord's century yet fell in unlikely fashion to the part-time tweaking of Aiden Markram for 66. After his reprieve, the giant Webster played with confidence and composure but beyond the colossus Australia crumbled, Alex Carey cleaned up reverse sweeping a full ball from Keshav Maharaj and captain Pat Cummins done for by a peach from Rabada. Webster had flashed outside off stump with impudence throughout his knock but was caught in the cordon for 72 before Jansen and Rabada ensured the tail would not wag. It may not be long, though, before their bowling boots are strapped back on again.
