What might it mean to an uncapped player who outshines six internationals — three of them members of the Test top six — by scoring a century while the national side’s captain‚ coach and the convenor of selectors look on?
It should‚ you would think‚ earn that player his first cap.
Aiden Markram wouldn’t be human if he didn’t think he had done enough to crack the nod as Dean Elgar’s opening partner in the Test series against Bangladesh that starts in Potchefstroom on September 28.
Markram made 119 for Titans against the Dolphins in Centurion on Tuesday‚ the opening day of the first-class season. Faf du Plessis scored 96‚ Quinton de Kock 54 and Elgar 21.
Markram batted for more than four hours‚ faced 177 balls and hit 18 fours‚ and shared stands of 52 with Elgar and 193 with Du Plessis‚ South Africa’s captain.
“It was a great innings and Faf also batted well‚” selection convenor Linda Zondi‚ who watched Markram bat along with new South Africa coach Ottis Gibson‚ said on Wednesday.
Zondi said the Test squad shouldn’t be a long time coming‚ but it wouldn’t have been proper of him to confirm that Markram’s name was already on the list. And in ink‚ not pencil.
The hamstring injury Heino Kuhn suffered in the fourth Test in Manchester in August lingers still‚ but even if he is passed fit the 113 runs he scored in eight innings against England won’t help his chances of staying in the mix.
Markram’s only other challenger is Stephen Cook‚ who lost his place to Kuhn and has responded impressively by banking scores of 120‚ 98‚ 89 not out and 70 not out among his six most recent first-class innings — before the Lions’ ongoing game against the Warriors — in matches for Durham and South Africa A.
But has Cook done enough to stop‚ in Markram‚ a man whose time has surely come?
That’s for Zondi and his panel to decide‚ and so far in their tenure they’ve got it right more often than not.
- TimesLIVE
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