Following his team’s six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in their ICC T20 World Cup match, South African skipper Aiden Markram praised pacer Anrich Nortje for his impressive return to form.
Nortje, who struggled during a disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, made a stunning comeback with a record-breaking four-wicket haul. His performance helped South Africa bundle out Sri Lanka for just 77 runs, the best figures by a Proteas bowler in the tournament’s history. Despite some challenges on a tough batting surface, South Africa successfully chased down the target to start their campaign with a win.
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During the post-match presentation, Markram expressed his admiration for Nortje, highlighting his mental resilience and the joy he brings to the team. “Was not worried about him but a fantastic day for him, from a mental confidence point of view. He is massively loved in the changeroom, boys are incredibly happy and proud of him, hopefully this kicks off a great World Cup for him,” said Markram.
Reflecting on the win and the challenging conditions, Markram said, “I am happy with the win. The batting was little up and down, probably speaks to quite a tough wicket and luckily we found ways to score on this. It was a tough one from a batting point of view, we try as much as we can to take the pitch out of it, we can take some learnings from it and we are experienced. Lots of different conditions as we move around, fortunately we have our next two here so we know what’s coming but it’s important to adapt as we go ahead.”
