Here is the full transcript of Aiden Markram’s press conference after the South Africa vs West Indies Super 8 clash
(Reporter:)
We get asked a lot about your bowling plans, but today was obviously different. I think you described the wicket as sticky from the front and then we saw quite a bit of pace at the start and then at the end. Can you walk us through them, how it worked?
(Aiden Markram:)
Yeah, actually, I think it was sticky from the front and it felt like the new ball was a seam because it was hard to keep the wicket and either pinch or have a little extra bounce. And with our boys you have to try to make the most of it when it’s on offer. At a certain stage it became a little bit more complicated in terms of whether you continue to do it or I think a lot of us felt like we could keep improving and then go in like it was really flat and how we would approach it, so that’s pretty much why the plans changed today. Kudos to the bowlers for getting it right the way they did. A lot more often you just ended up doing one thing and for them to adapt and change and still pretty much execute was a big feather in their cap.
(Reporter:)
You talk about Lungi – but I was just wondering about Corbin Bosch. He played excellent last and has a great economy rate, what makes him so impressive?
(Aiden Markram:)
I think he keeps it really simple, he trains smart, he trains hard, he doesn’t give himself too many options, he just tries to be really good at the things he supports. Obviously bowls a really good yorker that everyone has seen. I think it’s nice to have that variety in our offense. We have some tall guys who hit the goal really hard. You have Lungi, who has a really deceptive slower ball, and then Marco and KG are Marco and KG. So he’s been a great addition since he joined for, I don’t know how long it’s been now, maybe 18 months and yeah, he’s still training well and just getting better and better.
(Reporter:)
You mentioned now during that partnership that we could improve while Holder and Shepherd were batting and building a nice partnership. What kind of thinking was that from you because I know Shai Hope also said now that they were maybe 40 or 50 runs short. Was it always in the back of your mind as well, or how did you think? Were you frustrated?
(Aiden Markram:)
I mean, you can be frustrated when you have a team, I don’t know what it was, 7 down or something, but you have to try to paint a bigger picture and see the reasons behind it, is it bad bowling is it good batting or the wicket has become really good and I thought they played really well, two massive guys and their mishits go for a six and it makes you a tougher and locked bowling challenge. But I thought 180, you still need the bat well, but as we kept getting better it didn’t feel like it was too long.
(Reporter:)
For you guys, you beat the top three teams in the competition in New Zealand, India and the West Indies quite comprehensively. There is almost a danger that it was too easy going into the semi-finals – I don’t know if you know what I mean, like thinking after such comprehensive performances against such good teams.
(Aiden Markram:)
Yeah, it’s not easy to be honest. The boys are, every game, every meeting we have, fully locked in and we’ve had our ups and downs at World Cups and it’s definitely not something that this group takes for granted. I don’t think the group is even worth talking about. The boys have a lot of pride and are really on a mission to try to achieve something. You don’t want to create things where there isn’t really anything – so if we need to go against it based on what our eyes are telling us, we’ll mention that, but so far the guys are tracking really well.
(Reporter:)
Aiden like you guys the West Indies came here today as an unbeaten side and now suddenly it looks very difficult for them to reach the semi finals. Do you realize he’s a cutthroat? One loss and you could be gone.
(Aiden Markram:)
Massively. The guys put on a really good performance a few days ago and you wake up the next morning and go, Jesus, it could all be over in a few days. So it’s a real cutthroat. It’s a high level of cricket of course, but the intensity and the amount of energy that goes out of you every game is quite high. So you have to stay on your toes, as we mentioned, you can’t take a lot of things for granted and keep focusing on why you’re here so you can be really tough, really good teams, it can be tough sometimes but I think we’ve all been through that specifically in the T20 World Cup.
(Reporter:)
If you want to go into a game against Zimbabwe, who I think most people would say you should beat, how do you go about it?
(Aiden Markram:)
Yeah, I mean it can be more nerve-wracking at times to be honest but you give them the absolute respect they deserve, they’re there for a reason and they’ve beaten some quality teams in the group stages and they’re coming into it. So again, if you want to win the competition, you want to keep the good stuff going as long as possible and you don’t want to take your foot off the gas and I’m sure that’s where there’s going to be a lot of conversation going into this game
(Reporter:)
You talked about Lungi’s slow deliveries – Every unique and unplayable delivery will eventually unravel. Sam came up with a moon ball which looked unplayable for a while and now the batsmen started to pick it up. What is it about Lungi’s deeper yorkers that makes him so deceptive? When you stand against him at the nets, what sets him apart from other bowlers?
(Aiden Markram:)
I think he just nailed it to be honest. The pace cheat is obviously massive. In between all that, he bowls a really good yorker to keep you on your toes and it lands exactly where it’s meant to land. So in the end that’s what really good goals are always about. He can still travel if you’re not hitting, but ultimately that’s one of his best skills, that and his yorker at the end. And if he keeps mixing it up, I’m sure he’ll stick really close to him and support him, because you’ve got to support something and ultimately you want to support what works and something that you’re comfortable with.
(Reporter:)
What are your reasons for your invincibility in this competition? Every player contributed when needed. We have seen in the last few matches that Jansen and Keshav have been the better bowlers. This time the first two events were expensive. KG has not picked a goal in the last three games. He kind of changed the game today with the third over. How relieving is it as a captain at this stage of the competition to have all your bowlers contribute at some stage of the competition?
(Aiden Markram:)
Yeah, it’s massive because you never want to get into a T20 comp where you feel like you’re relying on a handful of guys. If one guy is having a rough day, you trust that someone will pick up his load and you carry on that game through play and sharing that kind of load. We are lucky to be in this position. It doesn’t always work out that way, but we’re lucky to be in this position.
(Reporter:)
Eighteenth Jansen had 23 runs. Were you worried that the next two overs could go all the way to 200? What did you plan to stop as you gave away just 13 runs in the last two overs? Was there any discussion before these two events were called? And the other thing is, do you think your team is talking too soon?
(Aiden Markram:)
Yeah, I think the planning was exactly what happened in the last two overs, so the guys executed it and did it right and kept them under 200. But West Indies are always a team that you, I think, can do 60 in three overs and it will feel normal. So you have to appreciate that and ultimately support your plans, which I thought the guys did really well. Peak too soon, hard to tell. We just took it game by game and tried to face it and see where it would take us. So yeah, I hope we can continue the good cricket we’re playing.
(Reporter:)
So South Africa have played five matches here, so how do you think that experience helped you today with bat and ball or did it help you at all?
(Aiden Markram:)
Yes, we were definitely lucky to be able to play here. We felt it was sloppy up front, it was sloppy in the previous day’s game that we played here, and obviously that affects the pitching and how you operate in the power play, I think – so that knowledge helps, I think the guys get a feel for the conditions and know what to expect. With the fact that the Indian wicket was completely different from what we had here. And even today you really have to keep an open mind and try to come up with plans and adapt to the goal as much as you can.
