Markram, South Africa
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Kevin Pietersen lauded Aiden Markram's century against Australia at Lord's as South Africa's greatest Test innings. Markram's 136 guided the Proteas to a five-wicket victory in the World Test Championship final,
Aiden Markram, who captained South Africa to their only U19 World Cup title in 2014, and then led the senior side to a runners-up finish at T20 World Cup last year, was fittingly named Player of the Match for his heroics at Lord's.
South Africa pulled off one of the most memorable run-chases in ICC tournament history in the WTC 2025 Final, with Aiden Markram scoring a ton. The Proteas thus managed to break a world record that was held by India for 14 years.
In the WTC Final Markram scored 136 runs, hitting 14 fours. He partnered with South African captain Temba Bavuma to add 147 runs for the third wicket, with Bavuma contributing 66 runs off 134 balls.
When Aiden Markram reached his 8th Test century with a boundary in the WTC final, AB de Villiers brought his phone out to record the emotional scenes at Lord's.
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Was this something Virat Kohli had anticipated for Aiden Markram? Although he couldn't have, Kohli, like the majority of previous greats in the game, recognized early on that class is permanent.
Proteas opening batter Aiden Markram told the media that the T20 World Cup loss to India last year played a part in giving them motivation to win the Test Championship at Lord's.
With a ton in the second innings at Lord's, Markram became just the third batter to score a century in the WTC final after Steve Smith and Travis Head. Markram found support in skipper Temba Bavuma as the duo frustrated the Australian attack.