Despite missing out on a debut century, Proteas young opening batsman Aiden Markram was still all smiles after making a brilliant 97 (152). He faced up to the media after stumps on day 1 of the first test against Bangladesh with composure and an attitude befitting a test regular.

“I am very happy to score 97 in my first test match. I barely slept last night and had a lot of nerves, but after getting the first runs and boundary I started to settle,” he stated.

When quizzed on whether he felt that that big run-out had denied him a century, Markram stated that it was disappointing, but that he was also happy that Elgar could reach his century none the less.

“I don’t look at my batting from a selfish perspective and I really wanted Dean to get his hundred and I got myself in no-man’s land half way down the wicket. The most important thing is for Dean to kick on and knowing him it’s something he would want. You have to take your hat off to him for batting the whole day,” explained Markram.

Markram also emphasised the importance of knowing how to deal with expectations and keeping the focus out on the job at hand in the middle.

“As a player I am aware of the pressure, but I try to keep it to the side.”

The debutant was also surprised when Bangladesh opted to field first when the pitch clearly was batting friendly.

“I was surprised as well, but I knew we could not underestimate their bowling attack. They made it tough to score,” added Markram.