T20 World Cup 2024: Aiden Markram optimistic about future despite South Africa’s defeat in final

Despite the disappointment, Markram's optimism and leadership offer a promising outlook for South Africa's future in international cricket

PHOTO: AFP

South Africa's captain, Aiden Markram, expressed confidence in his team’s future prospects despite their narrow defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2024 final.

The thrilling match took place at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, where South Africa fell just seven runs short of chasing a target of 177.

The final stages of the match saw Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya deliver decisive performances, turning the tide in favor of India. Despite the setback, Markram remains hopeful and sees the experience as a stepping stone towards future success.

Reflecting on the match, Markram acknowledged the challenges of tournament cricket and praised India for their hard-earned victory.

"Hopefully it's one step closer. It's tournament cricket, it's tough cricket, it's not easy to win trophies and you've got to take your hats off to a team like India for lifting the trophy. A lot of hard work goes into it. But yeah, we'd like to think we're one step closer and hopefully moving forward we can get that first win and it can be a snowball effect of quite a few to come," Markram said.

Despite his team's loss, Markram was positive about the potential and dedication of his squad.

"This group's a great bunch of people. In my opinion, they deserve really good things to go their way. I had a really good feeling about this competition before we came here and as the competition went on, that feeling got stronger and stronger,” Markram said.

"So, pretty tough to deal with now, but it's a sport at the end of the day. Someone's going to win, someone's going to lose. And we'll try to use it to fire us up for future events," he further added.

This T20 World Cup final was a historic moment for South Africa, marking their first appearance in the final after reaching the semi-finals in 2009 and 2014. Despite the disappointment, Markram's optimism and leadership offer a promising outlook for South Africa's future in international cricket.