BAN vs SA: Aiden Markram ready for Bangladesh ‘spin challenge’ in Mirpur Test

Aiden Markram said that South Africa are ready for trial by spin when they face Bangladesh in the opening Test, starting Monday, October 21 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Markram is the stand-in captain for the series opener after Temba Bavuma was ruled out due to muscle strain on his right triceps.

The Proteas have had a rough time in Test cricket in the sub-continent. Since their win in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka back in 2014, South Africa have lost 10 out of 14 Tests, failing to win even one of them. Markram, however, sounded optimistic about his team’s chances in the upcoming series.

‘Exciting to be exposed to new conditions’

“Cricket preps have been going well. We had a nice campaign in South Africa before we came here. So we feel like we are in a good space as a team. Yes, obviously looking forward to the series,” Markram said in the pre-match press conference.

“For sure, spin obviously is a big talking point especially being from South Africa. We don’t get such conditions like this on home soil. It’s an exciting challenge for us to face, especially as a team that’s relatively young and doesn’t play too many Test matches,” Markram said.

“It’s just an exciting thing as a player to be exposed to new conditions and learn most of the stuff that we love and take the lessons with us. Looking forward to the next Test match and also into the future sub-continent tours. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us as a team and like I have mentioned we are thoroughly looking forward to it,” Markram added.

South Africa have a decent Test record in Bangladesh, having won four out of six Tests, three of which came by margin of an innings.