Dale Steyn backs 'fantastic' Aiden Markram as South Africa skipper across formats

2014 was the very first time a South African team lifted the World Cup. Led by a young Aiden Markram, the South African side won the U19 World Cup in the UAE, where the Proteas defeated Pakistan.

Ten years after lifting the U19 World Cup, Aiden Markram continues to dominate at the highest level. At the age of 23, Markram became the second-youngest captain to lead South Africa’s international men’s team.

Furthermore, Markram continues to showcase his prowess as a leader after he led SA20 franchise Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back finals; he was also appointed the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Former Proteas pacer Dale Steyn recently came forward to heap massive praise on Aiden Markram and brand him as the player to lead South Africa across formats in the future. 

"So South Africa have got a real headache in terms of who they select as captain, They’ve got many, many guy that can do it. But if we’re specifically speaking about Aiden, I can strongly support him in the sense that I am part of his coaching staff. And, you know, watching him go about his business in this SA20 has been fantastic. The way that he’s rallied everybody, the way that he’s got everybody together, the chats that he does on the field, the chats that he does off the field in the dressing room has been pretty amazing,” Dale Steyn told News18 CricketNext.

I watched him last year at the IPL: Steyn

Furthermore, Steyn also emphasised how Markram has showcased his ability to lead by dealing well with the local players in the IPL, where the language can be a barrier for the Proteas star.

“I watched him (Markram) last year at the IPL. I thought it was really good. And it’s a tough gig at the IPL to get the buy-in of the local players. A lot of the local players, one, they don’t speak a lot of good English. And secondly, sometimes they don’t pick up the accents as well. So when you’re talking as a foreign captain, you have to almost talk slightly slower, slightly louder, more pronounced so that everyone can hear you,” Steyn said.