The fact that the Proteas have not played Test cricket in a long while does not bother opening batsman Aiden Markram at all.
Instead, Markram is hoping to make an impact when the Proteas face Sri Lanka in the first Test starting in Centurion on Boxing Day.
‘‘It’s been a long time. The last series was against England of which I was not too involved in it. It’s exciting, the guys are extremely excited, it’s good to play Test cricket again,’’ said Markram.
‘‘It is certainly a little bit different, a step up to perform on a big stage. It’s nice to perform at franchise cricket. It’s nice to
know that I’m moving well. I’m not gonna think too much about form. My focus would be spending time on the crease.’’
The Sri Lankans beat the Proteas 2-0 the last time the two sides met in a Test series and Markram believes the fact that they have not played cricket for some time might help them as they are going to be fresh.
‘‘I think a big positive is that we haven’t played Test cricket in a while, the hunger levels are up there. It’s about putting performances on the board. It’s about getting ourselves into positions where we can win the game. Our focus it to hit the ground running,’’ the 26-year-old Markram said.
