South African batter Aiden Markram made a swift return to the Test side with an excellent century on Day 1 of the first Test between South Africa and West Indies in Centurion on Tuesday, February 28. He scored his sixth Test ton after opening the batting for the Proteas, he went on to score 115 runs in 174 balls, including 18 boundaries, as his team went to Stumps at 314 for 8.
The Day had to be brought to an end earlier in the final session after 82 overs were bowled.
After the bright start that Markram gave his team, the hosts lost seven wickets for just 79 runs in the final session. The side went from 221 for 1 to 300 for 8 before Marco Jansen (17) and debutant Gerald Coetzee (11) stabilised the innings till the end of Day's play.
It was also a bitter-sweet debut as skipper for Temba Bavuma, who was out for a duck after Markram and his opening partner Dean Elgar added 141 runs for the first wicket. Elgar, who was replaced as captain after South Africa's 2-0 defeat to Australia, hit 11 boundaries during his 118-ball 71. Markram, who was recently made the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad, continued his rich vein of form from the SA20 league, which he won with the SunRisers Eastern Cape.
But then Alzarri Joseph struck first for West Indies in the 36th over. Markram then partnered with Tony ze Zorzi, who made a solid 28 to set up an 80-run stand but the latter was run out following a miscommunication between the two batters. It was this wicket, affected by West Indies wicketkeeper Joshua de Silva, which started off the South African collapse.
Alzarri caught Bavuma LBW for a duck on the second ball that he faced, with the pacer finishing the day with figures of 3 for 60.
Keegan Petersen (14), Heinrich Klaasen (20) and Senuran Muthusamy (3) all aided in the Proteas collapse in the second and third sessions. Alzarri led the bowling attack, but veteran Kemar Roach, Shanon Gabriel, Kyle Mayers, and Jason Holder all contributed equally, picking up a wicket each.
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