Mighty minnows make Markram mindful

The last time South Africa and Canada met in a senior international match was at the 2003 Men's World Cup in East London. South Africa won by 118 runs. On Monday, they meet again in the Men's T20 World Cup at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The sheer size of the stadium presents a unique challenge. "It could look quite empty because it's such a massive stadium," said South African captain Aiden Markram on Sunday. "But it will be on us to create intensity if there's no real atmosphere… It's definitely no excuse to not be on your game."

The 2003 match belonged to a different era. T20 cricket did not exist as a professional format. In that game, Boeta Dippenaar scored 80, while Makhaya Ntini contributed with both bat and ball (14 off 6 balls and 2/19). For Canada, Ishwar Maharaj scored an unbeaten 53 off 155 balls.

Markram is taking nothing for granted. "I did a bit of homework yesterday, so I've got a decent idea," he said of Canada's team. "It's important to do that homework and research on their players; strengths, weaknesses."

His caution is informed by other matches in the tournament where less-fancied teams have pushed established nations. Pakistan narrowly beat the Netherlands, the West Indies survived a scare from Scotland, and India was tested by the United States.

When asked if he was targeting an emphatic win, Markram was careful. "You don't want to jinx anything… it doesn't look like there are going to be any straightforward, easy matches. But I have faith in our team."

He acknowledged the unique challenge of playing an unfamiliar opponent. "It can feel tougher. You're not 100% sure what to expect, and that poses a new challenge… But we don't want to put too much emphasis on that. We'd rather focus on our skills."

Canada's captain, Dilpreet Bajwa, had a message for those questioning associate nations' place in the World Cup: "I would say they should watch the last few games, where the associate countries have made it tough for the Test-playing nations."

Markram agreed with the sentiment. "The gap between the associate nations and the other countries has become a lot smaller. In this format specifically it takes one or two guys to have a really good day for an upset to happen."

"It was a nice thing to say," the report concludes, "but Markram won't want the Canadians to be too exciting on Monday."