Markram moves past debut disappointment

It would be a case of déjà vu -- Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and South Africa plundered runs again -- but the first day of the second Test in Bloemfontein was actually much better for South Africa and much worse for Bangladesh than the corresponding day of the first Test in Potchefstroom just over a week ago. 

South Africa scored a barnstorming 428 for three, at nearly five runs an over, at the end of the first day at the Mangaung Oval on Friday, while they scored 298 for one on the first day of the first Test in Potchefstroom. Happily for newcomer Aiden Markram who missed out on a debut century in Potchefstroom, he got his well-deserved maiden Test century as he scored 143 off 188 before the tea interval in Bloemfontein. In Potchefstroom, a mix-up with opening partner Dean Elgar just before tea caused Markram to be run out for 97.

"It hasn't quite hit home yet. I think it will at some stage tonight. It's quite a proud moment for me, extremely happy to have got there especially after last week," Markram said. "Last week is done and dusted. I am going to keep saying that Dean and I have no hard feelings. Today I had a little bit of extra focus in the 90s. He said it's a special moment to have shared with me. It was nice for him to have been at the other end."

Despite the Bangladesh bowlers conceding such a huge total at such a quick rate, Markram paid his opponents respect. 

"They were at us quite a bit. The score says they didn't bowl that well. I don't think that's the case. It's a quick outfield and all of that reflected in the score," he said. "They had a plan to bowl short. As comfortable as you can be on the short ball, it's never a great thing to keep facing. They bowled with great energy, good intensity."

The question of the toss was inevitably asked as Mushfiqur's decision to field surprised all and sundry for the second week in a row. "Last week was a bit more surprising than this week. This week there was always going to be something in it in the morning session, so I wasn't too surprised. Last week I was a bit more surprised. But it's foreign to them; it's a trial and error thing."

The trial and error method is supposed to lead to the correct decision, but Bangladesh's trials seem so far to be followed just by error. For Markram though, it has led to success.