Markram inspires Titans to victory

AIDEN Markam turned what had been a bowlers day into comfortable victory for the visiting Titans team, scoring his second century in a week in the One-Day Cup yesterday.

Batsmen had struggled all day on a surface where the ball didn’t come onto the bat, and they were made to force the pace. The Highveld Lions batsmen didn’t come to terms with it until the last five overs of their innings, and it took Markram and the Titans batting line-up some time to come to terms with the lack of pace as well. But Markram, who missed a big chunk of the season with a fractured finger, picked up while fielding in the Boxing Day Test against England, has given every indication that he is ready to resume duties in the green and gold with a pair of centuries in his first four matches for the Titans since returning from injury.

While his first hundred last Sunday came on a “road” in Kimberley against the Knights, Markram had to work a lot harder yesterday. The Titans found themselves in early trouble losing two wickets inside the first 10 overs, and when Dean Elgar departed at the start of the 12th over, they were 25/3 and desperately needed a partnership.

Titans captain Grant Thomson was able to provide Markram with support and the pair started putting the Lions bowlers under pressure by taking a few calculated risks, hitting the ball in the air, as they increased the scoring rate. The stand was worth 119 runs, and eased the nerves in the away dressing-room.

Even in difficult conditions, Markram still produced some elegant stroke-play. He gradually increased his scoring as he came to terms with the nature of the pitch and brought up his hundred off the 108th ball of his innings. He was dismissed off the 109th, trying to finish the game quickly and slogging a short ball from Wihan Lubbe to Dominic Hendricks at deep mid-wicket.