‘Doesn't matter if they made it or not’: Markram appreciates South Africa’s legends ahead of T20 World Cup final

South Africa are set to play their first-ever World Cup final on June 29 in Barbados under the captaincy of Aiden Markram.

Markram was appointed captain of South Africa in T20Is in 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024 is his first event as captain. 

Prior to this T20 World Cup, South Africa had appeared in seven World Cup semi-finals, their latest appearance was in the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final which they lost to Australia. The Kangaroos then went on to win the World Cup for the sixth time.

However, Markram holds the past South African cricketers in high regard as they inspired the current players to play cricket for the country.

"They were guys that are legends of the game, legends of South African cricket. In my eyes, it doesn't matter if they made a final or not, because they inspired all of us to play cricket for South Africa. Because of them, we're trying to represent those people that have played before us, so we're glad we've made them proud, (and) to an extent I still feel we've got one more step left,” Markram stated in the post-match press conference after defeating Afghanistan in the semi-final.

Markram and South Africa have had a tremendous run in the T20 World Cup 2024 being the only unbeaten side in the tournament. They have played four group games, three Super 8 games and a semi-final and managed to win all of them.

During the press conference, the South African skipper also shed light on their XI players for the final in Barbados, "We're happy with the squad that we have here. It's not just the XI playing. It's a massive squad effort. And you pick your XI based on conditions. That's all it's about.

"So once we get to Barbados and we see what we think we're going to come across in terms of the pitch, then we'll try to pick our best XI. But we're really happy as a white-ball group where we are and the options that we do have when it comes to selection,” he added.

In the Super 8, South Africa almost lost to the USA and then to England but came out victorious in the end and Markram believes winning close games does provide the team with a vibe of confidence.

"You do get belief though from winning close games and potentially winning games that you thought you weren't going to win. It does a lot for your changing room and the vibe in the changing room. So we'll take a little bit of confidence from that and see if we can put it to any use in the final."

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