Monday 21 October 2024 will be a big one for Aiden Markram.
It’s then when he will realise a lifelong dream of captaining the Proteas Test side for the first time ever.
With regular skipper Temba Bavuma out injured for the first of two Tests against Bangladesh in Dhaka, Markram says he can’t wait for his first coin toss in the whites of the Test team.
The 30-year-old is a seasoned leader and has led the side in white-ball cricket, but he will finally have the big ‘C’ next to his name in his 40th Test.
Of the milestone, Markram says: “It’s a big dream come true to be honest, it’s what I dreamt about as a kid.
“Firstly playing for South Africa and secondly to captain your country in a Test match is the ultimate for me.
“I am incredibly honoured and grateful for the opportunity and hopefully we can get a win and start the series well.”
Bavuma will be back from his triceps injury to lead the team in the second Test.
Of missing the regular captain in the first outing, Markram adds: “It is a massive loss, Temba is a fantastic player of spin, a fantastic batter for us and a massive batter for us in Test cricket.
“So just from a batting side of things, we do take a bit of a hit with that…”