South Africa captain Aiden Markram is hopeful his country has finally shed the tag of being ‘chokers’ after guiding his side to a six-wicket win in the final of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Markram said the word ‘choke’ never came up in their discussions as they prepared for the final against Pakistan.
“It is a word that has been turned around. I think it has been sheer bad timing with the senior Proteas sides that they have been knocked out in tournaments,” said the captain, who scored 370 runs in 6 innings, the third highest in the tournament.
“That word never came up or played on our minds. Hopefully, we have got rid of the chokers tag to an extent with this win.”
Markram was glowing in his praise for his bowlers, especially Corbin Bosch and Justin Dill.
“We had some good plans for Pakistan and we wanted to rattle them upfront. We would have liked to strike a bit more with the new ball, but they got off to a good steady start,” Markram added.
“Those overs by Justin and Corbin were extremely crucial. They had a massive job to do. I like the way they responded.
“Each time I threw the ball up to them, you could see they were hungry and they were determined.”
Bowling hero Bosch dedicated his match-winning effort to his late father Tertius, a former South African fast bowler, who passed away when he was six.
“It was great to get out there and give my best performance in the final. I am so happy to have played well for the boys. I was hoping my time would come and I was getting inspired by the performances from the other players in the team,” said the 19-year-old.
“I did it for my dad. Inside, I have this huge belief that I am playing for him. I am here because of him. This week and all through the tournament, I have been doing it for my dad. It’s his birthday next weekend.”
