Additional captaincy experience gives Markram more lieutenants

Aiden Markram will skipper a World Cup squad that has a number of lieutenants who understand the demands of captaincy thanks to the SA20.

Besides creating a platform for players to find form and rhythm, this season’s SA20 also helped widen the leadership pool of the Proteas team.

Markram’s squad includes three other players who, like him, captained their respective franchises: a former South African captain in Quinton de Kock and in Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, two seam bowlers who’ve grown as leaders in their own right.

“You have to still be strong in doing it your way. But there are times when you might feel stumped, and then it is important to lean on guys you trust and have leaned on in the past,” said Markram, who will lead SA at a T20 World Cup for the second time.

Keshav Maharaj, David Miller (whose World Cup place is subject to him passing a fitness test later this week), and Tristan Stubbs all captained franchises in the SA20.

For Stubbs, who won the tournament with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, it would have been an invaluable experience, said Graeme Smith.

“[Stubbs] will have a totally different understanding of what Markram might go through now, in responsibility, press conferences and time management; the awareness he has gained in the past few weeks of what a captain has to deal with will benefit Aiden and the squad,” said the former Proteas captain, who is now commissioner of the SA20.

“It is vital to have other people who can play a leadership role. To leave it to one man is crazy. The captain needs to lead; there are lots of other things on his plate, and he also needs to look after his own performance.

“Building a group of players who can drive each other forward plays a huge role in building a strong environment.”

Jansen was part of the leadership core at Sunrisers Eastern Cape, which included De Kock, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Gregory, who all lent Stubbs, captaining for the first time, a helping hand.

However, while appreciative of the help and the growing number of voices he can turn to for advice, Markram remains aware of following his natural instinct and that ultimately, he will be responsible for decision-making.

“It works out that it is a collective effort, but there are certain moments, as captain, where your gut speaks to you and you have to follow that feeling.

“If things go south, it is hard to explain, whereas if you go with your gut, it is easy to explain when things don’t work out.”

His first job before the World Cup was to make sure Maharaj got over the disappointment of losing so narrowly in the SA20 final with the Pretoria Capitals.

“Kesh is an ‘all in’ type of guy. He really feels it. I chatted to him briefly and told him that ‘the trophy you really want to win is the one in a few weeks’ time, and that is what we are going to go for now.

“I’ll get him riled up; we’ll try to get him over [Sunday] night as quickly as we can and get him ready for the World Cup.”

On the flip side was Stubbs, whose ecstasy knew no bounds as he led his hometown team to a third title at Newlands. Markram tried to offer his congratulations on Sunday night. “But there was no way he was going to be available,” Markram chirped.

“I’m just bloody happy for him, to be honest. Everyone wants him to do well — he’s just that sort of person. He works really hard; he’s the ultimate pro, and when you put in that sort of hard work and don’t get results, you can get quite down on yourself. Even your peers feel sorry for you.

“It was great for him to do it in the final. When you do well in big games, you take a lot of confidence for the next time you are in a final,” said Markram.

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