Former Australian cricketing legend Ricky Ponting has heaped praise on South African star Aiden Markram after his match-winning performance in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia recently. Markram’s scintillating 136-run knock in the second innings proved to be the cornerstone of South Africa’s successful chase of 282, clinching their first ICC title in over 27 years.

“When you look back through big ICC events, I think the first thing that probably comes to mind is World Cup finals. And then probably Travis Head’s innings (137) in the World Cup final, and then the last World Test Championship final (163). And this one’s got to be absolutely as good as any of those, considering the stage, considering where South African cricket’s been over the last couple of years, particularly their Test side," said Ponting on ICC Digital.

Despite a disappointing start to the Test — falling for a duck in the first innings — Markram displayed remarkable determination in the second innings, stepping up for the team when it mattered the most. 

“To be able to stand up and perform like that when your team needs you the most is what reputations are made of. I think everyone’s always known how good a player Aiden Markram was. And I must admit, a couple of years ago when South Africa toured Australia, I couldn’t believe that Aiden Markram wasn’t in that touring squad at all. He didn’t even make the squad.

“And here we are a couple of years later and he’s played one of probably his greatest knocks. I’m sure if you asked him, he’d probably say that that’s the knock that he’s most proud of in his Test career, and I am pretty sure his teammates who watched it all unfold would probably say the same thing. So, it’s a great individual achievement for him, and it’s a magnificent achievement for the South African team," Ponting said.