Important for us to keep driving a consistent message: Markram

So close yet so far, Aiden Markram’s South Africa were within touching distance of an ICC trophy before the roof came crashing down. Ultimately, they fell flat by seven runs against the pre-tournament favourites India despite being on top of the clash for almost 36 overs. 

53 days later, those memories seemed to be a long time away. 

Has Markram recovered from that shocking loss in the final? 

"I should give it as much time as it needs. It was a tough one to swallow at the time. Definitely, since then till now, it's got a bit better to handle, to deal with and to process and put to bed,” Markram said ahead of the T20I series against West Indies. 

"Luckily I was able to take some time to get away from the game, get away from cricket conversations that would spark the discussion once again. It was nice to get away from that and to reset. Each individual processes it pretty much to themselves. Probably the most important thing is making sure you're at peace with how it all ended. So that you can move on and move forward."

Markram returns to the Caribbean, a place where they had some happy memories and majorly sad ones. However, the squad that has travelled to the Caribbean is almost brand new, with only three surviving members in the setup from the T20 World Cup that concluded two months ago. 

"It's not a hell of a big deal for me. The decision-makers, especially from a white-ball point of view, remain consistent. That allows for continuity in the team,” he added. 

"Faces will change, and squads will change, but it's important that we keep driving a consistent message to the guys and making sure that they feel backed as players. And that whatever they bring to the table is good enough for us as a team. So, it's not too complicated. You take on whatever you get given, and you try to make the absolute best of it and see where it gets you."

South Africa will kick off their three-match T20I series against West Indies on August 24 (Sunday).

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