Markram gives Proteas’ seam attack thumbs up

• Batsman impressed with how Rabada, Nortjé and Ngidi went about their business in first West Indies Test

If SA’s seam bowlers were looking for added motivation ahead of the second Test against the West Indies in St Lucia on Friday, Aiden Markram was on hand to oblige handsomely.

The elegant opening batsman spent most of his prematch presser waxing lyrical about the Proteas’ pace attack. It was a definite attempt to pep them up for another clinical performance against the hosts. Not that they need much encouragement.

The pace attacks of the West Indies in the 1970s and 1980s were legendary. Quick, mean, rhythmic and relentless. The Caribbean is home to fast bowlers and it was an environment in which SA’s fast bowlers thrived last week.

Comparisons with those Windies greats such as Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Colin Croft and Malcolm Marshall and later Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop would be premature.

But Markram was impressed with how the trio of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortjé and Lungi Ngidi went about their business in the first Test, which SA won by an innings and 63 runs. It is not difficult to recognise the potential for them to develop into a fearsome trio.

Markram gave onlookers some interesting insight into how challenging conditions were, even though the pitch had something in it for the quicks.

“Something small that maybe viewers don’t pick up on the TV is that there is a really strong breeze at the ground and quite a steep uphill bowling from the one end,” Markram said.

“Those bowlers had to run up that hill into that wind during the whole Test match and bowling with a ball [Dukes] they are not familiar with as well.”

The one was as successful in the Test as the other two with Nortjé picking up seven wickets, Rabada six and Ngidi five. Markram put their success down to sheer determination.

“We didn’t hear one excuse in terms of preparation or in the game. The main focus was just on getting the job done. That was something that really stood out.

“They emptied the tank as best they could. Our bowling unit was incredible. I think it goes without saying. It was nice to stand in the slip cordon and just watch them operate.”

It has been a barren period as far as victories go for the Proteas on tour. Coming into the twomatch series, their last overseas win was against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, in 2017. Nine straight away defeats followed before the change of fortune last weekend.

“The win has been good,” Markram said. “It was one of our first away Test match wins in quite some time. It’s been just over four years for the Proteas Test squad since we last managed an away win.

“It was exciting and a nice game to be part of. The tour itself has been fun but we’ve put in a lot of hard work as well.

“It’s nice to reinstil that belief in the guys that we can still win away from home and compete against some good Test match teams. Conditions were really different to back at home. So, it was nice to win in foreign conditions ... we are on the right path to doing it more consistently.”

SA have lacked consistency. Can they get anywhere near last week’s performance again?

“Look, it’s going to be a tough one to better that performance as a team but I’m positive we still have something more in us. I think it’s about having a set standard ... that we live by. If you are operating at that standard as a team then, more often than not, you will get good results.”