"Wouldn't be surprised if that record is broken in this competition" - Aiden Markram on fastest century in South Africa's 2023 World Cup opener
South African middle-order batter Aiden Markram reckons his record could well be broken over the remaining matches of the 2023 World Cup, given the tempo these days. The right-handed batter suggested that he has evolved a lot as a batter in the last few years.
Markram shattered Kevin O'Brien's record of a 50-ball World Cup century by achieving it in 49 deliveries against Sri Lanka in Delhi on Saturday, October 7. The 29-year-old got there in the 46th over of the innings with a maximum before falling for 106 as South Africa clobbered 428.
Speaking at a post-match presser, Markram said it was highly pleasing to see all batters playing aggressively. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
"I'm actually not too sure. The way batters are playing nowadays, you wouldn't be surprised if that record is broken in this competition as well. So it's nice for us to be able to go through the gears as a unit."
"Yeah, I think you do try to evolve as a batter and it's weird when you bump your head a few times, maybe exploring options that are not your plan A and are not necessarily your strengths. So I think it's all of those emotions sort of mixed up and building," he added.
The Centurion-born player also shared two quick-fire half-century partnerships with Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen. He was one of the three centurions as Quinton de Kock and Van der Dussen also got to the three-figure mark.
"We're known to start pretty slowly" - Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram further stated that they placed plenty of emphasis on this opening game as South Africa have traditionally been slow starters and didn't want to give anything away. He said:
"I think there's a lot of passion in this team to give our absolute all at this World Cup and see how far it can get us. We're known to start pretty slowly, be it in a series or maybe world events and things like that, so we put a lot of emphasis on today's game."
He added:
"To start well and play the same cricket we've been playing that's managed to sneak us into this competition. So I think it's all of those emotions sort of mixed up and building up."
While Sri Lanka lost by 102 runs, they gave it all, led by Kusal Mendis' whirlwind 76, followed by Dasun Shanaka's 68. The Proteas will next face Australia on Thursday.