In just a matter of months, Aiden Markram went from fan target to fan favorite.
There had been a poor run in the Proteas batting order in Test Cricket recently. Openers, such as Hashim Amla and Aiden Markram, got most of the blame because of inconsistent performances.
Fans were understandably upset, and some called for replacing both players on the South African World Cup team.
While the pair has remained mum about fan chatter, Amla and Markram seem to be moving in different directions. Amla didn’t play against Sri Lanka (family health emergency), and he hasn’t been featured in recent matches. His chances of making it to the World Cup are now slim.
Markram in action (photo, Sport24)
Markram, on the other hand, is letting his bat do the talking–so much so that he is making the front-pages of broadsheets and tabloids newspapers in South Africa. His recent displays included a mammoth 524 runs in five innings in the One-Day Cup.
While Markram’s jaw-dropping performances have left fans disowning his critics, it was Markram’s staggering fifth and final 135 runs against the Dolphins that had everyone raving about him.
Mark Boucher, Markram’s coach at Titans, told Times Live: “I will pay for his flight (to the World Cup). The way Aiden has been playing, you don’t want to put shackles around him. He had a good partnership with Dean Elgar in the One-Day Cup final last weekend, and he must go to the World Cup.”
And Elgar couldn’t agree more. “For me, it does not need discussion–just take the boy,” Elgar remarked. “He (Markram) has scored over 500 runs in about five games for the Titans. There is no debate here. If he doesn’t go, it means South Africa is shooting in its foot.”
Indeed! But the big story is that–in just a matter of months–Aiden Markram went from fan target to fan favorite.
