It was tough to see what the Australians went through: Aiden Markram
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Aiden Markram has revealed that the South African players were shocked at the ball-tampering saga and found it difficult to see the Australian cricketers go through so much. He has, however, insisted that the spirit of cricket still exists between them after the heated and controversial Test series.
Itās been a debut season to remember for Aiden Markram. He was only the second player in the history of the game to record 1000 Test runs, where he struck three fifties and four centuries in his 10-Test career so far. He also ended up as the leading run-scorer in the Test series against Australia.
However, all that was overshadowed by off-field controversies and the ball-tampering scandal was the final nail in the coffin. Markram, who is currently playing County Championship for Durham in England, revealed that the team was āshockedā after the news broke out.Ā
It was followed by a lot of debate and heated argument going on between the two sides right from the first Test. The competitive Test series, which was a riveting one with the series level at 1-1 until then, took a drastic turn with the Proteas easily winning it.
āWe were very shocked. The heat of the series was obviously happening. It was the third Test match and it was a crunch game, and the next thing, the story broke out. Everyone woke up the next morning and the guys couldnāt believe what had happened. It obviously hit home overnight and it was tough to see what the Australians went through,ā Aiden Markram was quoted saying by Wisden India.Ā
The first Test saw an ugly spat between David Warner and Quinton de Kock where the two were seen verbally abusing each other in the dressing room. Later, Kagiso Rabadaās send-off and a shoulder contact with Steve Smith led him to get banned for two games, but Rabada made a successful appeal to get his ban was revoked. All this had led to claims that the āspirit of the gameā had lost, but Markram has a different opinion.
āI do think it (spirit of the game) exists, yes. On the field, there are a lot of pressures to deal with and a lot of competitive juices that get flowing, and thatās when itās the toughest part to try to keep it in the spirit of cricket. But definitely, afterward or after something, letās say, happens that is not in the spirit of cricket, you get your apology very quickly and you get your reasons behind it.Ā
āIf the reasons make sense to you, then you accept your apology; if not, you try to look past it. For as long as I play, wherever I play in the world, itās something Iāll encourage and drive forward because at the end of the day, it is the gentlemanās game and itās a big part of cricket itself,ā Markram added.Ā
The 23-year-old opener also felt that even though the punishments were harsh, it was important that the players didnāt get away with their wrongdoing.Ā
āYou donāt wish that on your worst enemy, so Iām sure theyāre glad itās done and weāre glad itās done. The punishments that were dealt out were harsh, but having said that, you also canāt let people get away with what they did,ā the 23-year-old stated.Ā