The skipper was full of praise for spin bowler Senuran Muthusamy and middle-order batter Tony de Zorzi.
Despite falling in a 93-run defeat, Proteas captain Aiden Markram said he was proud of his team for putting up a fight in tough conditions in the first Test against Pakistan in Lahore.
Pakistan wrapped up the win on Wednesday, bowling out the SA team for 183 runs in the second session on day four, but Markram was delighted with the effort they put in to stay in the match.
“We’re always happy with a fight. That’s one thing we as a team pride ourselves on, never throwing in the towel and never giving up, believing that the really difficult things are still possible,” said Markram, who was standing in for injured regular captain Temba Bavuma.
“Although we weren’t on the right side of it, we showed some good fight and resilience, which is always a nice box to tick after every game. It is good for the boys in changeroom, and I’m proud of the guys for that effort.”
Muthusamy and De Zorzi shine
Markram was full of praise for spin bowler Senuran Muthusamy, who secured his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket with a match return of 11/174, as well as middle-order batter Tony de Zorzi, who hit 104 runs in the Proteas’ first innings to notch up his second Test century.
“I’m just really happy for them. We get to see stuff behind the scenes and the two of them have worked really hard at their games, trying to come up with plans to succeed wherever they are in the world,” Markram said.
“For South Africans to come here and do as well as they did is a big feather in their caps, so I’m incredibly happy for them. They deserve it through all the hard work they’ve put in and I’m sure it will give them a lot of confidence and belief.”
Looking ahead to second Test
The second match of the two-Test series between SA and Pakistan will be played in Rawalpindi next week, and though the wicket was again expected to be challenging for batters and seam bowlers in spin-friendly conditions, Markram believed they could hit back and draw the series.
“We expected conditions to be like this (in Lahore) and we expect it again for the second Test match, so it’s on us now as a group to go back and find ways to be better and give ourselves a chance.”
