Cricket
Walter backs Markram as captain─── MORGAN PIEK 08:22 Tue, 07 Mar 2023
The Proteas batter, Aiden Markram, has been named as the new captain of the national men's T20 International side. Markram takes over the role from Temba Bavuma who is leading the Test team and One-Day International side.
The ITEC Knights fast bowler, Gerald Coetzee, has been included in the T20 and ODI squads for the upcoming series against the West Indies. While Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs are also included in the 50-over squad for the first time.
Coetzee and De Zorzi both made their national debuts last week during the 1st Test against the West Indies, while Stubbs has already played T20 International cricket for South Africa.
The Proteas new white-ball coach, Rob Walter, said Markram is a natural choice as captain.
“Aiden has proven to be a leader for quite some time now, with his most recent success coming with the Eastern Cape Sunrisers in the SA20,” Walter said.
“It seemed like a natural progression into national team leadership, and he'd already been there. Since then, he's grown a lot as a player and a leader.
“Aiden has been a group leader for a long time, but Temba's exclusion was solely based on T20 performance.
“My job is to work with him to reintegrate him into the team, which will be one of our priorities.”
Markram remains the only cricketer to captain South Africa to a World Cup title when he led the Junior Proteas to the 2014 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup title in the United Arab Emirates. He was also named the player of the tournament.
The One-Day International will be played on 16 March at Buffalo Park in East London, while the first T20 will be played on the 25th at SuperSport Park.
