“We’ve got some debutants, they’ll have some debutants, and that should make for an exciting series.” – Mitchell Marsh
Telford Vice / Cape Town
BOTH have captained teams to triumph in the men’s under-19 World Cup, and between them they have led sides 137 times. But this will be different.
Not entirely, Mitchell Marsh said on Tuesday: “I don’t think it’s a whole new ballgame. International cricket comes with more responsibility and perceived pressure at times, but the game doesn’t change and we’ve prepared well.”
Marsh will captain Australia in the three T20Is Australia will play against South Africa at Kingsmead from Wednesday to Sunday. The home side will be led by Aiden Markram.
Australia won the under-19 World Cup under Marsh in New Zealand in 2010. South Africa did so under Markram in the United Arab Emirates four years later — still the country’s sole success in any cricket World Cup.
Markram is three years younger than Marsh, but the South African has a senior international captaincy head start on his counterpart. Markram has been at the wheel in six ODIs and three T20Is. Besides Australia’s under-19s, Marsh has led Australia A, Western Australia’s under-17 and senior sides, and the Perth Scorchers in the BBL. But he has never captained Australia’s senior team.
The figurative armband was first passed to Markram after Faf du Plessis broke a finger during the first of six ODIs South Africa played at home against India in February 2018. Markram was 23 at the time and six Tests and two ODIs into his international career. India won 5-1 and Markram scored 127 runs in six innings, an average of 21.17, with a best effort of 32. What did he learn from that chastening exposure to leadership at the highest level?
“In terms of experience I didn’t have anything under the belt and I was still young,” Markram said on Tuesday. “It was tough against good opposition, but over the years you rub shoulders with great leaders and coaches who help you realise the type of leader you want to become.
“Getting experience out in the middle helps you to be calmer. [I learnt] a combination of things. Being more comfortable with yourself as a player and confident in yourself and your abilities plays a big role. It has been a good journey so far and it’s always a privilege to captain your country.
“I would never say it was detrimental, that initial stint of captaincy. If you look back, post-retirement or at the bigger picture, you can only say it added value. You learn. Sometimes it’s pleasant learning, sometimes it’s tougher, but all of it is learning and you get great info going through those experiences. So I don’t look back going ‘Jeepers, I wish that had never happened’. Naturally, it was tough at the time but it certainly helped me, as a player and as a captain.”
Proof of Markram having absorbed his lessons came when he guided Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title in February, although he won’t be happy with piloting Sunrisers to last place in this year’s IPL. He was also in charge for an ODI and three T20Is against West Indies at home in March, when his team won two and lost two.
Both captains might need to keep printed copies of some of their players’ profiles in their pockets. Dewald Brevis is a household name despite not having played a single senior match for South Africa, but that can’t be said of squadmates Donovan Ferreira and Matthew Breetzke, who have also not been seen at this level in any format. Gerald Coetzee, meanwhile, has played two Tests and two ODIs but no T20Is. The Australians are in a similar boat, with Matthew Short, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson in a senior international squad of any kind for the first time.
A low key series relegated to the wings by the final preparations for a looming ODI World Cup that towers over everything in the game would seem a good place to blood new talent. And to give a couple of more senior players captaincy experience.
When: August 30, September 1 and 3, 2023; 6pm and 2pm Local Time (9.30pm and 5.30pm IST)
Where: Kingsmead, Durban
What to expect: Cricket has had rotten luck with Durban’s weather, so it’s a relief that Wednesday looks clear. But a 60% chance of rain has been forecast for Friday evening. Sunday should be cloudy and dry. The city’s infamous humidity is a few months away, so swing is unlikely to play a significant role.
Team news:
South Africa: Unusually, the squad includes three wicketkeepers in Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira and Tristan Stubbs — who has cracked the nod. Stubbs has kept in 13 games, 12 of them at junior level. The other was a first-class match between Eastern Province and Boland at St George’s Park in January last year. Stubbs took two catches and conceded two byes in the first innings, and claimed six without the blemish of a bye in the second dig.
Possible XI: Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (capt), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
Australia: Matthew Short, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson will make their debuts. Glenn Maxwell has gone home after reporting ankle pain during a training session at the weekend.
Confirmed XI: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
What they said:
“Those who know ‘Stubbo’ well know he is the kind of guy who will never leave a stone unturned. He has spent hours and hours practising his ’keeping. We’ve seen him do well with the ball and we all know what he can do with the bat. Now he has got the gloves. He’s an all-dimension player, I think it’s called.” — Aiden Markram confirms Tristan Stubbs will be behind the stumps.
“It’s not often you go into an international series not knowing much about the opposition, but we’ve done our homework. We’ve got some debutants, they’ll have some debutants, and that should make for an exciting series.” — Mitchell Marsh prepares us for new faces in the XIs.
Cricbuzz