- Aiden Markram has re-established himself as a future Proteas captain again following his exploits in the SA20.
- The 28-year-old says he enjoyed stewarding Sunrisers Eastern Cape and "learnt much", but is seemingly coy on whether he'd like to do a similar role in other contexts.
- Rumours abound over a captaincy shake-up under new national coaches Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter.
A rather coy Aiden Markram enjoyed his SA20 campaign as skipper of the triumphant Sunrisers Eastern Cape, but, if he's relishing similar challenges in future, he conceals those feelings well.
The 28-year-old's credentials as a potential Proteas leader, particularly in the 20-over format, is in the spotlight again, especially with national director of cricket Enoch Nkwe previously suggesting that shake-ups in this regard could be on the horizon.
Rumours are already doing the rounds that Temba Bavuma could become Shukri Conrad's Test captain in Dean Elgar's place. Concerns over the right-hander's longevity for 2027's 50-over World Cup in South Africa has also sparked debate that his current tenure in ODIs could come to an end after this year's showpiece in India.
"It was an enjoyable job to have, I suppose," said Markram about his stewardship in a wildly successful first edition of the SA20.
"It's a great humbler at times as well. I just continued to learn and tried to get better with every outing."
Considered a viable leadership option since leading the national Under-19 side to World Cup glory in 2014, and then being thrust into a temporary captaincy to lead an injury-riddled Proteas in a chastening home ODI series thrashing at the hands of India in 2018, his appointment late last year as Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper was notable.
Inconsistency has plagued his game for sustained periods since that 2018 series, but a steady renaissance in white-ball cricket since last year has rendered him a vital cog in the batting line-up.
Markram's SA20 responsibilities merely seemed to put his positive state of mind into overdrive.
He scored 366 runs at a strike rate of 128 - a maiden century in the format was reserved for a high-octane semi-final against Joburg Super Kings - and he took no less than 11 wickets with his improved off-spin at an excellent economy of just over six per over and a handy strike-rate of 14 (almost a wicket every second over).
Asked to pinpoint what factors have played a part in his newfound liberation, Markram makes an ironic statement, especially since captaincy is characterised by output.
"It's hard to single out what sort of thing [has made me improve my form]. There are a lot of ups and downs in this game, especially as a batter. It's quite hard not to become outcomes-based because, ultimately, you score runs to stay in the team," he said.
"But I've tried to take the outcome out of things and develop options and commit to them. If it doesn't work, it doesn't. It's part of the game.
"Not worrying too much about outcomes has been something I've changed over the past few months."
Whether the Proteas coaches follow the Sunrisers' example remains to be seen.