“I thought their score was slightly above par, but certainly not out of reach,” said South African opening batsman, Aiden Markram, after Sri Lanka won the first ODI against South Africa by 14 runs. 

In an unexpectedly high scoring encounter in which Sri Lanka crossed 300, South Africa responded with brave knocks from Markram, who top-scored with 96, and a well-compiled 59 off 59 from Rassie van der Dussen. During Markram and Temba Bavuma’s partnership, it appeared as if South Africa would chase down the target comfortably until Bavuma was freakishly injured and had to retire hurt. Markram conceded, “I suppose these sorts of obstacles can happen, but it was a momentum halting moment in the game.” 

Markram was surprised at how the pitch played, but knows that conditions could get more challenging as the series progresses. “To be honest, it played quite a bit better than we expected. Obviously, going into the series and T20s, it might get tougher with the amount of traffic on the square.” 

South Africa’s trials against spin have been well-documented. Markram explained that the team has been working hard to play spin better. “We’ve tried to grow our games as batters and as a batting unit. In terms of being able to tap into different options if need be. There’s been a lot of work done there. Guys have been working on sweeping, using the crease sideways or up and down. Slowly but surely, we’re starting to see the results.”