"We are certainly here to lift the trophy" - Aiden Markram on 2024 T20 World Cup

South African captain Aiden Markram has given a note of "quiet confidence" about ending the ICC trophy draught at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The Proteas last won an ICC title in 1998 - the knockout trophy which is now known as the Champions Trophy - under Hansie Cronje. Since then, despite fielding some of the best teams at the biggest stage, they have stumbled at crucial stages.

This time again, they have one of the most explosive batting line-ups in the competition and a versatile and experienced bowling set-up.

"I am feeling quietly confident," Markram said ahead of the opening match against Sri Lanka. "There are really good teams here but we feel if we find our form and play to the best of our ability, we can beat anyone. We have put a lot of focus on ourselves and we will see where it gets us. But we are certainly here to lift the trophy."

Most South African players are coming off good performances in franchise leagues. However, Markram had a difficult season with SunRisers Hyderabad, where, after being stripped of captaincy he could score just 220 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 124.29.

"We didn't think we would ever be playing a World Cup game in New York" - Aiden Markram

South Africa will play the first three of their four group-stage games in New York followed by a match against Nepal in Kingstown, in the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Markram seemed excited by the opportunity to play in the first major tournament hosted by the USA.

"On the day we will have to assess really quickly and then adapt plans that will help us do well. It is an exciting day; we didn't think we would ever be playing a World Cup game in New York. It's a beautiful training facility and we will get a first look at the stadium and the pitch later to assess things," he said.

Catch all the live action from the South Africa-Sri Lanka game here.

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