South Africa’s Aiden Markram celebrates his century during the ICC Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. (PTI Photo)
World Cup: Aiden Markram’s rollercoaster journey from a deflated young man to South Africa’s mainstay
A 17-year-old Aiden Markram is at a social gathering with his family, thinking if he should bother playing the sport he loves more than anything else. In the final year of his school and bearing the frustration of the U19 provincial team rejection, he is confused and deflated as per one of the family friends, in whom Markram confides at a breaking point.
Pierre de Bruyn remembers the flat response he had for Markram: “No. You can’t make that decision. You just can’t.”
A former first-class cricketer himself, de Bruyn would offer Markram an alternative. To come with him to the University of Pretoria and join the local cricket academy where he coached. The intervention seems to have worked wonders for the Proteas number four at the ongoing ODI World Cup. Barring the off night against the Netherlands that saw the entire batting lineup crumble, Markram has helped South Africa resurface as one of the title contenders. He scored the fastest hundred in tournament history against Sri Lanka followed by a match-winning fifty against five-time champions Australia. (READ MORE)
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