T20 World Cup | South Africa were a lot closer to our fullest potential against New Zealand: Markram

South Africa captain Aiden Markram says his side has moved “a lot closer” to playing to their full potential as they outclassed New Zealand to edge nearer to the Super 8s in the T20 World Cup.

South Africa were clinical with both ball and bat, first restricting New Zealand to 175 on what Markram felt was a surface capable of producing a 200-plus total, before completing the chase comfortably.

“Definitely a lot closer to the fullest potential tonight. I thought pretty much all areas were really good,” Markram said after the comprehensive win on Saturday (February 14) night.

“To keep them under what we felt was probably a 200-type pitch was a massive effort. The surface played really well and got better as the night went on,” he said.

Ahead of the match Markram had said that his side was not playing to its full potential. The Proteas skipper credited the bowlers for reading the conditions smartly and executing their variations with conviction.

“It’s not a set plan. It’s very much dependent on the approach of the batters. If a guy’s really teeing off and trying to take you down, you need to play with his swing a bit, and that’s through change of pace,” he explained.

“There’ll be phases where it can be tricky. It’s a fine balance. But the secret tonight was the conviction behind what they did and that gut feel. We went with that and it held in the wicket in the first innings.” He added that field placements were largely bowler-driven to provide flexibility in terms of pace-on and pace-off options.

“It gives you wide options and straight options as well. That’s what most teams are chasing, flexibility based on the type of bowler and the nature of the surface.” Markram also pointed to attitude as a defining factor, particularly when New Zealand threatened with a partnership between Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell .

“When there’s a partnership building, you can’t go away. It starts with the man at the top of his mark holding the ball. That attitude keeps you in the game. When you execute like we did tonight, you stand a chance to break partnerships,” he noted.

In the chase, South Africa benefitted from improved batting conditions under lights, with dew helping the ball come on better.

“In general the new ball comes on pretty well and then in the second innings there’s slightly more dew. It hasn’t been heaps, but there’s a little bit of an element of that and it contributes to the ball coming on better.” The skipper also lauded the strong turnout at the Narendra Modi Stadium, saying the lively atmosphere added to the occasion. Close to 55,000 fans thronged the stadium to watch the action.

“As players, we love playing in front of a loud crowd and that’s exactly what tonight was. Great to have a big turnout and good from the boys to put in a strong performance,” Markram said.

On his own batting approach, he stressed the importance of leading by example in the evolving T20 format. Markram hit an unbeaten 86 to anchor the chase.

“You can’t preach to the boys and not do it yourself. If good wickets and positive intent marry each other, you need to take it on up front. I don’t think I’ll be a proper slogger. I need to do it differently but with the intent to get the team off to a flying start,” he added.