Aiden Markram's wife appreciates his century with an emotional reaction during Day 3 of SA vs AUS 2025 WTC final [In Pictures]
South Africa opener Aiden Markram's wife, Nicole Danielle Markram, emotionally cheered on her husband after his magnificent century on Day 3 (Friday, June 13) of the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's. Markram's sensational innings has put South Africa on the brink of a historic victory, as they need 69 runs to win the championship, with eight wickets in hand.
After a duck in the first innings, Aiden Markram returned to form in style with a match-defining century (102*) on Friday to set up the platform for his side in the tricky chase. He played with great control from the beginning and mixed caution with aggression well to shepherd his side to 213/2 at Stumps on Day 3. Temba Bavuma played an ideal foil to him with a responsible knock of 65* (121).
Markram reached his century in the penultimate over of the day with a boundary, which brought immense joy to the South African supporters. The batter's wife, Nicole Danielle Markram, was elated after he reached the milestone, as she was seen clapping emotionally while celebrating the memorable moment with her peers in the stands. You can watch her reaction in the X post below:
Earlier in the day, Mitchell Starc displayed wonderful resistance with the bat for Australia and steered them to 207 in their second innings with a valiant knock of 58* (136) along with Josh Hazlewood (17). As a result, the Aussies set a decent target of 282 for the South African team.
"His technical foundation is excellent" - Aakash Chopra on Aiden Markram after his century in SA vs AUS 2025 WTC final
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Aiden Markram for his fourth-innings century against Australia in the WTC 2025 final at the Lord's. He opined that the Proteas opener had an excellent technical foundation in his batting and reminded him of the legendary Jacques Kallis. Speaking on the matter in a video on his YouTube channel 'Aajash Chopra,' he said:
"He is the only South African batter to score a hundred in an ICC men's final. He became the third centurion in WTC final history. He is the first to score a hundred in the fourth innings. His technical foundation is excellent. He reminds us a little of Jacques Kallis. What would have been the difficulties for Aiden Markram? One, he was playing only T20 cricket for the last two months."
"So he had to unlearn his T20 habits and then focus on Test cricket. That's a difficult job. Secondly, he got out for zero in the first innings. That was also a problem. Wickets have fallen here with the new ball. If you see the first three innings, wickets had fallen with the new ball in every inning. He ensured that he came with a positive mindset," Chopra elaborated.
Do you agree with Aakash Chopra's views above? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.