Aiden Markram, 136, on South Africa's emotional five wicket win over Australia

NicheSportMedia

Aiden Markram, 136, on South Africa's emotional five wicket win over Australia  14/06/2025  Lords Cricket Ground, London, UK

Transcript

00:00Aidan, just a gentle half-volley to start off with.

00:05Maybe you just closed your eyes and it happened,

00:07but I'm just curious to know how well you slept last night.

00:11Horribly, to be honest.

00:14Tried to take a sleeping tablet, didn't work.

00:16The mind just couldn't switch off,

00:18but fortunately today wasn't ever going to be a full day,

00:21so I knew either way it would be fine,

00:22but yeah, didn't sleep too well.

00:24Well played, Aidan, and many congratulations.

00:32Can you tell us about those tears last night when you got to 100?

00:36Yeah, it was weird.

00:37Last night I was pretty emotional.

00:41From like, let's call it, what time did we finish?

00:44At about six, from about quarter past, half past five,

00:47the game had sort of slowed down.

00:50I had a bit of time to look around and see all the fans,

00:53the family, all the mates that are there looking to change them,

00:57and then I was like, yes, we're here now.

00:59Like, we're getting close.

01:02And it caught me off guard.

01:04Obviously then the 100 happened,

01:05and a couple of tears leaked out that I was trying to fight.

01:09In terms of today, nothing's hit me just yet,

01:11so maybe that's a good thing.

01:14But something needs to hit me soon to get out all the emotions,

01:17because it's been a bit of a rollercoaster.

01:18Can I just quickly, was there any,

01:21considering South Africa's history and things like this,

01:24was there any doubt in your mind?

01:25Did you go, hmm, 59, that's still a few more to get

01:29than I would have liked this morning?

01:31I didn't feel too much of that.

01:33It was more about not wanting to expose the next player to it.

01:36We've all been in very high-pressure situations,

01:41and it can make you think differently, react differently,

01:45and it's more just about not exposing guys to that

01:47if you have the opportunity to keep batting.

01:49So that's more what I was thinking.

01:51A bit of a frustration that it took quite some time to get there.

01:56But again, it was a softball on a slow wicket ring field,

01:59and it was always going to be slow scoring, unfortunately.

02:02So we were trying to play, trying to get it over and done with.

02:04It just wasn't working out, so it added to the frustration.

02:07But yeah, at the end of it, I mean,

02:09it doesn't always have to be a comment section.

02:11It's about getting the job done, I guess.

02:14Aidan, it's already kind of been spoken about

02:17as one of the most significant innings in South African Test history.

02:20What does it feel like when you're actually playing it

02:22and you're thinking, oh, this is how big it is?

02:25Or do you just put that out of your mind?

02:27Yeah, I wasn't thinking about it, to be fair.

02:31I thought a lot about the T20 World Cup last night.

02:35And how hopeless I felt sitting on the side after getting out.

02:38And I was like, I don't want to sit there again.

02:40So it just gave me a bit of motivation to make sure I stayed at the crease if I could.

02:46But never once thought about the achievements and what would come with it.

02:50It was always about just trying to get the job done and trying to win.

02:53Brad?

02:54Sorry, I was just checking out the face.

02:57Just Aidan, you just spoke about the T20 World Cup.

03:00And just looking at your test cap, it's faded.

03:02I guess it's a sign of the blood and sweat and tears that you put into it too.

03:06For South Africa's first world title to be a test title,

03:09that to win Lords against Australia, what does that mean to you?

03:13Yeah, it's as big and as tough as it gets.

03:15So all the questions that have been asked in the past have fortunately now been answered.

03:23The test one is always going to be, in my opinion, the toughest one.

03:26It's many days of playing good cricket.

03:30Whereas in a T20 or even one-day cricket nowadays,

03:33you just need one person to really put their hand up on the day and you can get a win.

03:38So it was always going to be the toughest.

03:40It was always going to be a full sort of team effort to get over the line.

03:45And guys chipped in exactly when they needed to.

03:47Something small like Vian Mulder's partnership last night or yesterday.

03:52That's huge to take this thing out of the new ball.

03:54And then Timbers, both his knocks were massive.

03:57So it's not always about the massive milestones,

04:00but those guys that take the edge out of the game and get us ahead of the game

04:06and get us comfortable, it makes a big difference in finals, I feel.

04:11Aidan, obviously you would have been upset that you went out late on,

04:14but as you're walking off and people are chanting your name

04:17and it's a standing ovation at Lords and you know in the back of your mind

04:19that it's more or less dropped on,

04:21are you able to kind of pause for a second and take that in?

04:24That must be an incredible feeling.

04:25Yeah, I wish I could have.

04:27But at least looking at the building in front was pretty special.

04:39And then naturally the World Cup was incredibly special.

04:42So at least there's one or two memories from that.

04:44I think Timbers said on BBC that the word sort of choke or choke

04:50has been used out there a little bit.

04:52Was that a motivator to sort of put that to bed

04:56and now perhaps not have to hear that anymore?

05:00I mean, it would be great to not have to hear it again, that's for sure.

05:02In terms of it motivating you, I mean, there's always going to be external things

05:09that can motivate you, but it's not your sole purpose for playing.

05:14So to have got the job done and to literally have got the job done

05:18and to get rid of that is quite a big thing for this team, I feel.

05:22Aidan, just wanted to ask you about the partnership with Timber

05:28and with that hamstring injury, Asheville said there was a discussion going on

05:33and can you tell us what, take us inside what you were saying

05:36about wanting Timber to be out there and how that affected the way you batted

05:41and just, you know, generally a word on the captain and how he played out there.

05:46Yeah, both his knocks were huge.

05:49To see his hamstring go was obviously a bit, like, worrying.

05:55But then we got to T, I think it was, and we chatted in the change room

06:00and he said he feels like he can still keep going.

06:04But he wanted to know from my side if the twos that are becoming ones would affect me.

06:09So I said there's no chance.

06:10But it's about the partnership, staying out there for long,

06:14getting the ball even softer, even older,

06:17because that's obviously when batting became a lot easier.

06:20And that's exactly what he did.

06:21And he still actually managed to run twos and threes.

06:24So I think there was a lot of adrenaline there,

06:26but a lot of leadership and character that he showed.

06:28And, again, those, maybe not the big, big numbers,

06:33but the ones that really make a difference,

06:34and that was Timber in this game for us.

06:37Aidan, your record against Australia

06:39is quite remarkable, your highest average.

06:42Is that a figure that you're aware of?

06:44And what do you put that down to?

06:46No, no, it's not.

06:47I'm not sure about the figures.

06:49But, yeah, I think the Australians and South Africans

06:52are pretty similar and they play the game in a similar way.

06:57Play the game hard.

06:59Play the game to compete.

07:00Play the game to really win.

07:00And I think it, as well as for them,

07:04but very much so for us, brings out the best in us.

07:06So it's just a battle.

07:08It's just competition and two teams

07:10that really don't have any interest in losing.

07:12So I think it brings out the best in a lot of cricketers

07:14and not just myself, but quite a few of the players

07:18in their team and in our team.

07:19Plenty of people in the ground and watching the game

07:24will have worries about the health of Test cricket

07:26and maybe worries in particular about the health of it

07:29in South Africa, given how few games you guys have scheduled,

07:33how short your series are getting.

07:35After a week like this and an achievement like that,

07:38what feelings and what message do you have to communicate

07:41to the people who run the sport

07:42about how much the format means to you?

07:46Yeah, it's always been my most important

07:48and most favourite format.

07:52Naturally, playing fewer games is not really on us.

07:55It's just sort of the cards you get dealt.

07:56But it's really important, in my opinion,

07:59to keep Test cricket as the number one in South Africa.

08:02So we understand all the dynamics that are happening

08:05in the cricket world, and that's completely fair.

08:08But it's more about the young guy coming through

08:10that his main thing is to get a Test match bag

08:14and play Test match cricket for South Africa.

08:16If we can still do that, it's fine.

08:19However long they play for is a different conversation

08:22in the world of cricket nowadays.

08:24But the number one priority should always be

08:26to play Test cricket.

08:27And I've always felt that, believed that.

08:30And if we can get that back with the younger people

08:33coming through, I think we've done well.

08:34We're starting to ask a couple of questions.

08:36If you're Stu Keenan and then Neil.

08:39I'm not sure if you're aware of the song that was sung

08:41in the stands about you for the last week or a half,

08:44but in terms of the support that you had at Lourdes,

08:49you don't get much cards back home.

08:51But just what was it like to play front of a full house,

08:53and particularly South Africa?

08:56No, it was awesome.

08:57I thought we might have been outnumbered from before the game,

09:01thinking that quite a few Australians would have made the trip,

09:03and there were plenty of them as well.

09:06But to have Shorcha Loza and those sorts of songs

09:11ringing around Lourdes is firstly very different

09:14to the normal Lourdes,

09:15but very awesome for us as South Africans to hear.

09:19So everyone came out, supported us, made the effort.

09:23But even when we got behind the eight ball,

09:24they were fully invested.

09:27The fans have been through thick and thin with us,

09:29so I think it's just as special for them.

09:32Hi.

09:33Aidan, people measure the sinnings

09:36and we've got it very, very highly in South African cricket.

09:41At what point yesterday would you say

09:43that it just clicked for you

09:45and that you just felt that,

09:46look, I'm in the groove here?

09:47I'm not too sure.

09:52I suppose like never really felt that way

09:54just because of pretty much what was on the line.

09:58You've got quality bowlers coming at you the whole time

10:01and sort of just never stops

10:02and you never really catch a break.

10:04So it never felt that I'd clicked,

10:06but it was more just spending time

10:09and batting with intensity,

10:10knowing that the runs would come.

10:13But if I was there,

10:14that's the most important thing

10:15is the longer we build partnerships for,

10:18the closer we get.

10:19And once you get closer,

10:20you can start sort of formulating

10:21how you want to tick them off.

10:23So that was it,

10:24but nothing really sort of stood out

10:26and was like, okay, I'm in.

10:28Didn't really feel that way.

10:31Aidan, you got a red Inca in 2014

10:35under-19 World Cup.

10:38You played magnificently at Lourdes.

10:40What is it about the biggest games

10:42that brings out the best in you?

10:45I'm not sure.

10:46I got a duck in the first inning,

10:48so it's weird.

10:53I just think it's desperation to win,

10:55to be honest.

10:57I've said it recently

10:58that I'm not here to chase numbers and stats

11:02and things like that.

11:04I really just want to win stuff for South Africa now.

11:06So I'm at peace with that

11:08and I think it's quite a nice space

11:10to be in as a player

11:11because your full buy-in

11:13is towards the team

11:14and your full care

11:15is towards everyone in the change room

11:17and that's what you try to take care of

11:19and if things work out, then great.

11:21But the personal milestones

11:23and stuff like that

11:24will never be a thing now.

11:25It's an interesting measurement

11:30of the quality of your innings

11:32that, unless I missed some of them,

11:35every one of the Australians

11:36ran to you to say something.

11:39Were you aware of that in your gloom?

11:42Yeah, you notice it for sure.

11:44Obviously, great touch from their side.

11:47There's quite a bit of banter

11:48I had on the field.

11:49So, yeah, all is well

11:51and ends well, I guess.

11:52But, yeah, always nice to be appreciated

11:54from that position.

11:57Aidan, just one more on the fans.

11:58We saw you enjoying

11:59a nice, refreshing beverage

12:00after the win.

12:01Can you just take us inside

12:02that moment of celebrating

12:03with the South African fans?

12:04Yeah, that was cool.

12:05That was one of my mates from school.

12:08He wanted me to come over

12:09and I said,

12:09look, man, I can't.

12:10It's too busy.

12:11It's chaos.

12:11And then he was like,

12:12well, here's a beer.

12:13And I was like, okay, I'm in.

12:16So, I've had my first one for today

12:18and I'm pretty sure

12:19there'll be a few more.

Category

Transcript

Recommended