Aiden Markram

A young prodigy who shot through the ranks, Aiden Markram has been a flamboyant stroke-maker from an early age and rose to fame after he had a dream run as captain of South Africa and led them to the U-19 World Cup title in 2014.

Having been picked on a selection whim after unimpressive numbers in the lead-up to the tournament, he repaid the faith of the selectors and contributed handsomely to end the tournament as the Proteas’ highest run-scorer and lifted the cup in a nation frustrated and haunted by the c-word. Markram looked confident from the outset - when asked to list three words that best described him, he mentioned ’Positive, confident and responsible,’ and he went on to live up to it in the tournament.

However, after being touted as the next 'big thing' in South African cricket, form and consistency deserted him, resulting in more consistent players edging him out for a few years. Injuries did not help his cause and Markram seemed to have lost his spark completely. Like the stereotypical superstar losing his way, he seemed to be seeing an early decline. However, with age on his side, and some tough competition in the national circuit, Markram continued to work on his game to make it to the national team.