'Best innings ever by a South African': KP hails Markram as Proteas win WTC

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has hailed Aiden Markram's match-winning century against Australia at Lord's as the greatest innings ever played by a South African batter in Test cricket, placing the Proteas opener's gritty knock above all others in the country's long red-ball history.Markram scored a sublime 136 off 207 balls in the fourth innings to help South Africa chase down 282 and beat Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship final — ending their 27-year-long wait for an ICC title.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"Probably the best innings any South African batter has ever played in Test match cricket," Pietersen, a pundit on JioStar, declared. "It might not go down as the most attacking or entertaining, but when you factor in the expectation, the stage, and the pressure after failing in the first innings, it was extraordinary."

Praising Markram's mental strength, Pietersen added, "He lost Rickelton early, yet still went on to produce something truly magnificent. When your country is counting on you and you have to deliver — that pressure is immense."

Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who took a nine-wicket match haul, called Markram a "big-match player" and praised his composure under pressure. "His presence, the way he dominated his space, and stuck to his game plan without wavering was just brilliant," Rabada said.

"It wasn't a pitch where you could be loose. He handled all their plans, traps — off-side, leg-side — with amazing focus."Former fast bowler Dale Steyn also lavished praise on the team's performance. "Rabada, Starc, Cummins — big names delivered, but Markram and Bavuma finishing it off made it special. I'm thrilled for South Africa — they've finally won a trophy they've been chasing for a long time."He also noted the unusual crowd dynamics: "Lord's backed us. Maybe the Ashes rivalry played a part, but that support mattered."