A stellar unbeaten century from Aiden Markram on Friday, June 13, has significantly bolstered South Africa’s aspirations in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia at Lord’s.
Opening the second innings for South Africa, Markram concluded the day’s play on 102 runs, having faced 159 balls and struck 11 boundaries. His innings has been instrumental in a crucial 143-run, 232-ball third-wicket partnership with South African captain Temba Bavuma, who is currently batting at 65 runs from 121 balls.
Following Markram’s century, achieved by hitting Josh Hazlewood for a four on the fifth ball of the 55th over of South Africa’s inning, a seven-year-old tweet from Virat Kohli resurfaced and went viral. In his tweet from March 24, 2018, Kohli had lauded Markram with the post, “Aiden Markram is a delight to watch.” A screenshot of this old tweet was notably shared by Punjab Kings on X.
Markram, who had registered a six-ball duck for the Proteas in the first innings, displayed exceptional composure and skill on Friday. He first forged a 61-run second-wicket stand with Wiaan Mulder (27 runs from 50 balls) after Mitchell Starc dismissed Ryan Rickelton for 6 runs on the first ball of the third over. After Mulder’s dismissal, Markram continued to anchor the innings, building a robust partnership with Bavuma that has kept the Proteas firmly in the contest.
This century marks a significant milestone for Markram, as he becomes the first South African batter to score a century in an ICC final. While a total of 15 batters have accumulated 16 centuries across various ICC finals, Markram is the trailblazer for the Proteas in reaching the triple-figure mark.
Will Aussies be able to manage a bounce back? What do you think?
