Proteas batsman Aiden Markram hit a century on day three of this week’s World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London, England.
Markram’s 102 not out pushed South Africa to 213 for two – and within 69 runs of victory and a maiden WTC title.
Markram has hit three fourth-innings centuries in Test cricket – as many as former England batsmen Graham Gooch, Herbert Sutcliffe and Geoffrey Boycott and former West Indies batsman Gordon Greenidge. Only South Africa’s Graeme Smith and India’s Sunil Gavaskar have more with four each.
Markram shared an unbroken 143-run partnership with captain Temba Bavuma on Friday. Bavuma had a hamstring injury throughout.
Most fourth-innings Test centuries
- Graeme Smith – 4
- Sunil Gavaskar – 4
- Graham Gooch – 3
- Herbert Sutcliffe – 3
- Geoffrey Boycott – 3
- Gordon Greenidge – 3
- Aiden Markram – 3
“We had to make a big call whether he continues to bat and how it will affect his strokeplay, how that might affect Aiden’s rhythm. If twos are being turned into one or they can’t run the twos or the threes. Both of them were adamant that Temba was going to continue. He wanted to continue,” said Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince.
“Aiden was adamant that the partnership is the key. Obviously, had Tristan Stubbs gone in, we would have still had Temba’s wicket intact, but you start a new partnership. They were feeling pretty good and they wanted to continue.
“Aiden was well aware that he’ll have to curb his intensity just in terms of running between the wickets to allow Temba to ease his way through it. Temba is tough. Aiden has great respect for Temba.
“In fact, I think this team’s greatest strength is the unity that they have in this camp – they are well aware that South Africa have had much greater individual players, but they’ve got something special going on in that dressing room, and that sort of helps them to drag each other along.”
This is South Africa’s first World Test Championship final. Australia are the reigning WTC title holders after beating India in 2023’s final. New Zealand won the inaugural WTC title in 2021.
