Aiden Markram encourages fearless play from Proteas youngsters ahead of Australia tour

Proteas T20I captain Aiden Markram encourages youngsters Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, and Dewald Brevis to continue with their fearless approach ahead of the white-ball tour to Australia.

Markram is set to lead the squad in three T20Is in Australia, which includes three exciting youngsters selected for the first time in a Proteas full-strength squad.

This follows the youngsters' excellent performances in Zimbabwe last month, the 2024/25 domestic season, the SA20, and the Indian Premier League.

For their impressive performances last season, the trio was not only rewarded with national call-ups for the tour to Australia but also earned coveted Cricket South Africa awards at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Thursday evening.

Brevis walked away with the Domestic Players' Player of the Year and the SA20 Rising Star of the Year awards, while Pretorius earned the Four-Day Series Player of the Year and the SA20 Batter of the Year awards. Meanwhile, Maphaka was crowned T20 Challenge Player of the Year for his heroics in leading the Lions to victory in the competition last season.

Markram, understanding the importance of giving the trio the space and freedom to play their own way, told the media on Friday that he wants to see them continue playing fearless cricket. The 30-year-old himself was once a youngster in a changeroom with the likes of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, and Faf du Plessis, making him the right man to guide the youngsters through what is usually a tough country to tour.

“For your young guys, the last thing you want to do is try to clip their wings. You want to let them fly and do their thing,” said Markram. “I think we've seen it on various stages around the world now — in SA20 and elsewhere — that they are proper X-Factor players who can transition to international cricket quite easily, and they've proven it now.

“I don't have too much advice for them besides the fact that they must keep taking the game on and not be scared of disappointments or failures.

“But it's been great to see their progress at such a young age. They're going to play a massive role moving forward in South African cricket, and that's something we're quite excited about.”

For the first time in a long time, the Proteas are heading to Australia without much information about the conditions they will face. The Proteas will play for the first time at venues booked for the T20I series: the first two T20Is will be played at the Marrara Oval in Darwin, while the third and final match is set to be staged at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns.

This poses a unique challenge for coach Shukri Conrad and captain Markram, as they have very limited information to use in their preparations for the series. However, Markram accepts the challenge and emphasizes that they will have to learn quickly and adapt accordingly.

“Not many of us have played at those venues. So, it's a challenge in terms of preparation as to what we can expect,” he said. “But probably more important for us is to assess it as quickly as we can after a couple of balls and plan the way forward from there. So no preconceived ideas. We'll tackle it head-on on game day and see what the conditions offer.”

The first T20I is set to get underway on Sunday, 10 August at 11.15am SAST.