Aiden Markram has owned day 3 of the ongoing WTC final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s, as he has got a gritty fifty to keep the hopes of his team alive in the Ultimate Test. Markram got off to a horrible start in the final, scoring just a duck off six balls in the first innings as South Africa were dismissed on 138. Having taken a 74-run lead, Australia put South Africa, the Proteas, a target of 282 runs.
🚨 HISTORY BY AIDEN MARKRAM 🚨
– Aiden Markram becomes the 3rd South African player to score fifty in ICC Finals. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QpGG6T6sOP---Advertisement---— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) June 13, 2025
Markram follows Heinrich Klaasen and Hansie Cronje
South Africa, in response, lost an early wicket; however, Markram settled down and played his shots to ensure the scoreboard kept ticking. The 30-year-old needed 69 balls to get to his half-century, with four boundaries in the process. This score has made Markram the youngest player to join the elite group of South African players who have scored fifty-plus in ICC finals. Notably, this is only the 3rd ICC final that South Africa have played in their history. Aiden has joined Heinrich Klaasen and Hansie Cronje in this elite club. This feat was first accomplished by Cronje in the 1998 Champions Trophy.
Also Read: Why Did Australia’s Best Slip Fielder Steve Smith Moved Out Of The WTC Finals Mid Play? Find Out
Heroics by Cronje against the West Indies
Cronje also played a crucial innings of 61 not out in the 77 balls with which the Proteas beat West Indies in the final of the 1998 Champions Trophy in Dhaka to claim their first and only ICC trophy. Jacques Kallis, however, got Player of the Match after taking five wickets with his bat, bowling the West Indies down to 245 runs, despite his heroics with the bat.
Klaasen’s Innings In T20 World Cup 2024
Heinrich Klaasen was the show stealer in the 2024 T20 World Cup final as he scored a marvelous 52 off 27 balls almost winning the trophy to South Africa. Chasing 177, the team came seven runs short in spite of a classic innings by Klaasen.
