Weaknesses

As Graeme Smith’s tenure gradually proved from 2007 to 2014, age can be nothing but a number when a young leader has time on his side to learn.

Some of those lessons can be tough and mould a leader’s character and outlook. Prince was part of Smith’s 2005/06 travails against Ricky Ponting’s allconquering Australians when SA lost five out of six Tests home and away.

Prince isn’t concerned about Markram’s longevity, but looked at the player’s rough last two years as an indicator that he was not quite ready for leadership while he was still figuring out his own game. “He’s still got a lot to learn in terms of his own game as a Test cricketer. He was injured and it could have been a blessing in disguise as he could have been dropped. There were a lot of people who said he could have been dropped. Is he going to come back and be a serious international player? I definitely think so and I rate him highly. At 25, he’s still got time and might know more about himself and leadership when he’s 30.”