South Africa captain Aiden Markram says the Proteas are determined to stamp out a worrying trend of heavy defeats in T20 cricket, admitting that recent heavy defeats have “hurt the egos” and forced the squad into some tough reflections.

“I think you take a lot of lessons from the second game,” he said after the rain-affected series against England. “We’ve obviously reflected on it and we’re excited at the opportunity of trying to fix some of those things today, but unfortunately the rain came through and didn’t really stop. So we’ve chatted about it, obviously addressed it as a group and now we’ll have to wait for the next T20 to start putting those things in place again.”

The series marked the continuation of Markram’s new partnership with Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order. “Obviously still fresh. We get on really well off the field as well, so I think that helps. Cricket’s a funny game in terms of sport, in terms of performance. We’re looking to improve on getting the team off to better starts, but buying into the way that we want to play as a team and hopefully we can put some good performances starting from that Pakistan series.”

Opening remains a relatively new role for the captain but one he says he has enjoyed. 

“I bat quite a bit in the middle order, so it’s a position where you have to have your game on different levels at different times, whereas opening I think is a lot more consistent with your planning. 

“That helps. Sometimes you get good wickets and you can cash in. I’ve felt like I’ve got in a few times now, but I haven’t quite cashed in. 

“So that’s where the goal is and the focus is now moving forward, to continue to try and get the team off to good starts, but then when you get in to play proper match-winning knocks.”

With the T20 World Cup looming, he says the emphasis will be as much on mindset as on skill. 

“We’re still looking at options. We’re still giving opportunities, which is exciting with the young crew that we have coming through and the fearless crew. So a lot of it’s about driving the approach, driving the mental approach about the game and instilling belief in the guys.

“From a skills point of view, I think we’re all chipping away at our games to try and improve. For me, a lot of it is planning as a captain. 

“If our plans are in order and we plan for tough scenarios or scenarios where we’re on the front foot, if you’ve addressed it before the game, I find it a lot easier to go about things in the middle. 

“So that’s where the focus will be a lot of planning and mental application for the approach towards T20 cricket.”

Recent heavy losses, though, remain a concern.

“You never like losing and then you don’t like losing by big margins either. So it certainly hurts the egos. It certainly hurts the feelings. 

“We’ve addressed it post that second T20 now that it’s happened three times and I’ve put a lot of emphasis to make sure it doesn’t happen again. 

“If you look at the way we approach the game, our processes off the field, we have to have belief that hopefully that’s not going to be a thing that continues.”

Markram also stressed the need for bowlers to back their strengths when under pressure. 

“Each is different to each bowler. They bring a unique set of skill sets that they ultimately have to back. Conditions will also speak to you on the day as to what can work and what’s not going to work as well. 

“I think it’s marrying those two things together and fully committing to that. A lot of the pressure can make you go away from plans or away from strengths because it can all be a bit of a blur out there under that pressure. 

“Just remembering that and reiterating that to the guys gives yourself the best chance of execution, and that’s ultimately where the game is won and lost.”

The return of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen has been another boost. 

“Obviously both of them coming back from injuries. So it’s been great to have them back in meetings as well. Their input, their knowledge, experience that they bring is awesome for us as a squad to have. 

“We understand bowlers can have nights like that in T20 cricket so I’m not even worried about that to be honest. 

“But I’m very excited to have them back with everything that they bring on and off the field.”