South African skipper Aiden Markram has opened up on T20 World Cup final heartbreak, stating he will try to give it as much time as it needs. The Proteas lost the summit clash against India by seven runs at Barbados.
In fact, the Rainbow Nation was in a shoo-in position as they needed a run-a-ball 30 to win their maiden World Cup title but veered off the track in the last five overs as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
The Aiden Markram-led team also had six wickets in hand but the match turned on its head after a well-settled Heinrich Klaasen was dismissed by Hardik Pandya and David Miller was taken brilliantly by Suryakumar Yadav.
“I should give it as much time as it needs. It was a tough one to swallow at the time. Definitely since then till now, it’s got a bit better to handle; to deal with and to process and put to bed,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“Luckily I was able to take some time to get away from the game, get away from cricket conversations that would spark the discussion once again. It was nice to get away from that and to reset. Each individual processes it pretty much to themselves. Probably the most important thing is making sure you’re at peace with how it all ended. So that you can move on and move forward,” Markram went on to add.
Meanwhile, Markram played under the captaincy of Temba Bavuma in the Test series against the West Indies. The flamboyant batter said it doesn’t make a lot of difference to him as far as playing under a different captain is concerned.
“It’s not a hell of a big deal for me. The decision-makers, especially from a white-ball point of view, remain consistent. That allows for continuity in the team. Faces will change and squads will change, but it’s important that we keep driving a consistent message to the guys and making sure that they feel backed as players,” the South African T20I captain said in the same interaction.
“And that whatever they bring to the table is good enough for us as a team. So, it’s not too complicated. You take on whatever you get given and you try to make the absolute best of it and see where it gets you,” Markram concluded.
South Africa will take on the West Indies in the first T20I at the Brian Lara Stadium on Friday.
