T20 World Cup: Skipper Markram hails clinical South Africa performance

AHMEDABAD: South Africa cemented their place at the top of Group D after contrasting victories against Afghanistan and New Zealand, with captain Aiden Markram calling their win over New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Saturday their “fullest performance” so far.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Reflecting on the team’s display, Markram said, “A lot closer to the fullest of poten-tial tonight. I thought pretty much all areas were really good and again it just came from clarity and conviction in that plan or that ball you’re going to bowl or the approach you’re going to take towards a certain bowler with the bat. So, it’s nice to see the boys improving, getting better and tonight was a really good all-round performance.” Markram said it was mentally easier to be part of a victory like the one against the Black Caps. “It’s a lot more comfortable putting together slightly more clinical performances. So the aim will always be for it to feel like it felt tonight. It’s not always going to work out that way, but definitely a slightly easier one to deal with, mentally at least,” said the 31-year-old, whose unbeaten 86 helped steamroll the Black Caps by seven wickets.Asked if the South African bowlers’ execution of change of pace was pre-planned because of knowledge about the playing surface, Markram responded, “It’s not like a set plan. It very much depends on the approach of the batters as well. If a guy’s really teeing off and trying to take you down, you need to play with your swing a bit, and that’s through a change of pace. There’ll be phases in the game where it can be tricky with our fast bowlers because when they hit a length hard, if anyone can find something, it is them. So, it’s a fine balance to try and manage. The secret tonight was there was a lot of conviction behind what they did and what they were feeling, and that gut feel. We went with that and it did hold in the wicket in that first innings. Obviously, the wicket did get slightly better, but the boys still had to land it, and they did that really well.”