Where Should Aiden Markram Bat for the Proteas in Test Matches?

The Proteas take on India in a three-match Test series starting with the first Test at SuperSport Park on Boxing Day. Mark Boucher’s side will have to get a lot of decisions right if they are to beat the number one ranked Test side and prevent them from winning a Test series for the first time in South Africa. One of the key factors will be how they set up the batting lineup.

I take a closer look at Aiden Markram’s Test career so far and why I think it would benefit both him and the Proteas if he batted at number four in Test cricket.

A Great Start to His Test Career

In the early part of his Proteas career, Aiden Markram showed signs that he was capable of leading the Proteas batting lineup for years to come. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh in September of 2017 but narrowly missed out on a century on debut. Markram would then go on to score his first Test ton in the second Test, scoring 143 runs off 186 balls. 

Two months later he became the first South African to score two Test centuries in his first three matches after scoring 125 runs against Zimbabwe. All in all, Aiden had a great start to his Test/international career.

Proved Himself Against Tougher Opposition

His first challenging Test series came at home against India in January 2018. The opener did not have a good series overall but he was impressive in the second Test at SuperSport Park, scoring 94 runs in the first innings.

It was a tough series for batsmen in general with Virat Kohli being the only player to score a century in the three-match series. Both sides also had quality bowling attacks in conditions that suited the fast bowlers. 

The series against Australia in the same year would prove to be his best yet. He was up against a fine bowling lineup, consisting of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. Markram scored 480 runs in four matches at an average of 60.00 which included his career-best score of 152 runs on the first day of the fourth Test. His 143 in the fourth innings of the first Test was also very impressive.

Overcoming His Vulnerability Against Spin

His first two Test series away from home were where we started to see a dip in form from the talented batsman. He struggled in subcontinent conditions (spin bowling in particular) where he averaged 11.00 in two matches against India and 10.00 in two matches against Sri Lanka.

The series in Pakistan earlier this year is where he refound some form in Test cricket.  In the first match, Markram scored a patient 74 in a losing effort. In the second Test, he made his first century in more than two and a half years and his first in Asia. Markram finished as the leading run-scorer in the series, averaging 56.75 even though South Africa lost the series.

Why Markram Should Bat at Four?

It would be in the best interest of South African cricket moving forward if Markram moves down to number four as he has the talent and the potential to become a world-class batsman in all formats. At his age (27) he has the potential of doing what Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and many others are doing for their respective countries with the bat. 

Having Markram at 4 and Rassie van der Dussen at 3 would make the Proteas’ batting line-up look much stronger. We saw how this worked at this year’s T20 World Cup with both doing very well. Even though they are completely different formats, Markram proved that he can be someone we could build the team around especially in this transition phase the Proteas are in. He has also shown a lot of growth and maturity in his game this year.

Players like AB de Villiers and Joe Root also started their Test careers as openers before moving down the order and began to flourish. AB averaged 36.14 while opening the batting in Tests for the Proteas and 62.11 batting at 5. This proves that some players are just too good to be opening the batting in Tests and are better off taking advantage of the older ball and tired bowlers.

Markram is arguably our most talented batsman along with Quinton de Kock. With South Africa being the toughest country to open the batting in Tests, it would only make sense to get the best out of him at four. After Faf du Plessis’ retirement from Test cricket, it is important to find someone who’s already proven in the longer format of the game to bat in that position.

It is also very important that the Proteas find a suitable replacement for Markram at the top of the order. You’d want him coming in at 100/2 rather than at 15/2 with him still being exposed to the new ball.

In his 26 Tests, he has scored 1824 runs at an average of 39.65 with 5 centuries and 9 fifties. These are decent numbers but I feel he should be averaging in the high forties if not in the fifties. His ICC Test ranking of 19 is also not good enough for a player of his talent and I believe both his numbers and ranking would improve significantly if he batted at number four. This would bode well for the Proteas in the long run.

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