AHMEDABAD: South Africa captain Aiden Markram said his side moved “a lot closer” to playing to their full potential after outclassing New Zealand in a commanding T20 World Cup win that pushed them nearer to the Super 8s.
South Africa were clinical with both ball and bat, first restricting New Zealand to 175 on what Markram felt was a surface capable of producing a 200-plus total, before completing the chase comfortably.
“Definitely a lot closer to the fullest potential tonight. I thought pretty much all areas were really good,” Markram said after the comprehensive victory on Saturday night.
“To keep them under what we felt was probably a 200-type pitch was a massive effort. The surface played really well and got better as the night went on,” he added.
Ahead of the match, Markram had said that his side was not playing to its full potential, but credited the bowlers for reading the conditions smartly and executing their variations with conviction.
“It’s not a set plan. It’s very much dependent on the approach of the batters. If a guy’s really teeing off and trying to take you down, you need to play with his swing a bit, and that’s through change of pace,” he explained.
“There’ll be phases where it can be tricky. It’s a fine balance. But the secret tonight was the conviction behind what they did and that gut feel. We went with that and it held in the wicket in the first innings.”
Markram said field placements were largely bowler driven to provide flexibility in terms of pace on and pace off options.
“It gives you wide options and straight options as well. That’s what most teams are chasing, flexibility based on the type of bowler and the nature of the surface.”
He also pointed to attitude as a defining factor, particularly when New Zealand threatened with a partnership between Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell.
“When there’s a partnership building, you can’t go away. It starts with the man at the top of his mark holding the ball. That attitude keeps you in the game. When you execute like we did tonight, you stand a chance to break partnerships,” he noted.
In the chase, South Africa benefitted from improved batting conditions under lights, with dew helping the ball come on better.
“In general the new ball comes on pretty well and then in the second innings there’s slightly more dew. It hasn’t been heaps, but there’s a little bit of an element of that and it contributes to the ball coming on better.”
The skipper also lauded the strong turnout at the Narendra Modi Stadium, saying the lively atmosphere added to the occasion. Close to 55,000 fans thronged the stadium to watch the action.
“As players, we love playing in front of a loud crowd and that’s exactly what tonight was. Great to have a big turnout and good from the boys to put in a strong performance,” Markram said.
On his own batting approach, Markram stressed the importance of leading by example in the evolving T20 format. He hit an unbeaten 86 to anchor the chase.
“You can’t preach to the boys and not do it yourself. If good wickets and positive intent marry each other, you need to take it on up front. I don’t think I’ll be a proper slogger. I need to do it differently but with the intent to get the team off to a flying start,” he added.