South Africa vs Bangladesh ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Post-Match Press Conference, Aiden Markram and Mahmudullah (Bangla and English)

South Africa vs Bangladesh ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Post-Match Press Conference, South Africa Captain Aiden Markram and Bangladesh player Mahmudullah (Bangla and English) Transcripts below the videos.

South Africa Captain Aiden Markram

Bangladesh player Mahmudullah (Bangla and English)

South Africa Captain Aiden Markram post-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:] South Africa's batting has been doing really well in the last few matches while batting first. So as a team, do you plan to put your chasing power to the test, especially after the Netherlands game? Do you think that as a team you need to play, chase more totals before the knockouts to test your team and get used to that?

[Aiden Markram:] I suppose we're just approaching each game and seeing what's probably best to do on the day but obviously the history of the last, I don't know how many games it is now, we've batted first quite a bit so I think it's quite easy to get that mantra of ‘they're a bat-first team’. But we're a team that is happy to chase. Obviously now we haven't done it in a while. So, to do it successfully in an ideal world will be great. And you can get those reference points again and get those habits going. But whether or not we are going to just decide to chase because we haven't chased in a while, I'm not too sure. We will have to see.

[Reporter:] A year or two ago, maybe a bit more, you were sort of known as a guy that made pretty 30s, but now you tend to sort of at least go past 50 and you've also scored a few hundreds this year. I was just wondering if that was something that you focused on and how do you manage now to turn those good starts into bigger scores?

[Aiden Markram:] Yeah, I don't think you always get it right but I think in 50-over cricket there obviously is a lot more time than what I initially maybe thought. You get the feel of the wicket and you maybe decide to pull the trigger slightly earlier and then you get out and you sit for 20 overs on the side and watch the other guys smack it and it eats away at you. So, I think I had to certainly go through those learnings to help me realise that there are gears that you do go through in 50-over cricket and you can't just gear straight up and then stay in that gear, you might have to gear down a few times. So, I had to experience that first hand to be able to sort of learn about it, but yeah, still trying to figure it out now, to be honest.

[Reporter:] A feature of the last few games has been the runs scored in the last 10 overs. Just kind of following on from what you said, could you maybe talk about like the batting blueprint and how you set yourselves up so that you can score 140, 130, whatever it is in the last ten.

[Aiden Markram:] Yeah, I think it goes without saying that you obviously do need wickets in hand but we haven't spoken about a blueprint as a unit it's been actually quite a strange build up the last two months or maybe slightly longer now. No definitive roles given, but everyone kind of knows now what they need to do to help this batting unit peak at their best. So, there isn't necessarily a blueprint, but guys understand how to approach it. A big focus on playing conditions and not necessarily situations too much. Obviously, there will be times where you play the situation. But that's pretty much where it's at as a unit and we keep saying to look down at the surface and not up at the scoreboard and play exactly what's in front of us on the pitch.

[Reporter:] Do you put any thinking into if we keep them out there for 50 overs and we bat properly and make a big score, by the time they get out there to bat, they're going to be physically and mentally shot? Does that come into your decision making?

[Aiden Markram:] Maybe not before the game, but certainly while you're out there. Today it wasn't as hot to be honest as it was for the England game but it was still hot and 50 overs is a long time to be in the field whether it's hot or not to be honest it mentally takes quite a bit out of you. So, there is that advantage I would say, especially when conditions are on the hot side. So, it's not a reason why we end up batting first. It's not the sole reason, but I suppose it is a slight benefit or can potentially be a slight benefit if you do bat well first.

[Reporter:] Aiden, we are at the halfway mark, so to say, of the group stage. Coming into the World Cup, what is it that you guys were looking forward to achieving and going into these few games and with the wins now do you think that these have been like proper statement performances and other teams will sit up and take notice of the team?

[Aiden Markram:] I'm not too sure if it's putting statements out there and we try to crack on with what we're trying to do and achieve as a team. As every other team is, I'm sure they are too. Get into that knockout stage and get to that final and then play a good game of cricket in the final as well. So that's pretty much where our focus is at. Not trying to blow up the occasion. Obviously, you respect the fact that you are at a World Cup for sure and you appreciate that a lot. But ultimately, when you cross the rope, it is just a game of cricket and I think that keeps us nice and calm as well. And hopefully we can continue that approach going forward.

[Reporter:] I don't mean to take anything away from the rest of you guys, but Quinny's now reached 400 runs. Has he started reaching dream territory now in terms of his output in this tournament? And also, just on that, do you actually think the fact now that you mentioned, you know, there's not particularly a blueprint or anything, you know, it actually helps him?

[Aiden Markram:] Could well be, yes. We all know Quinton to be the free-spirited guy that he is, but he actually has a fantastic cricket brain on him. So, he assesses conditions really well and communicates that to us off the field even before we've walked out to bat. So, it adds a lot of value in that regard. And then you never want to clip his wings really. You just want to let him fly. He structures it the exact way he feels need, and we back that completely as a unit. So, yeah, that's where we're at. I think, like I mentioned, we focus on conditions, we focus on really trying to take good options and wherever that leaves us at the end of it, if that thinking was nice and solid, then we can sleep pretty well at night.

[Reporter:] Is it tempting to look at the leaderboard and think what you have to do? I'm sure you'll take it game by game, but will you just leave that to us? You're in second place now. Is it tempting to look at the leaderboard because it looks quite nice? Plan ahead and we need two out of four to make sure of the semis?

[Aiden Markram:] I think that's a pretty dangerous place to be, to be honest. I don't think you want to start trying to do maths this far out. There's still four games of cricket and that's potentially eight points up for grabs. That's what we're going to try to push for. I think if you start sitting and hoping for a result from this team and trying to work out ‘we maybe only need two wins left’ or whatever it is. I don't think that's a great place to be as a unit, so I'm sure we'll stay far away from that and focus on the very next game and try to back up performances that we've put in so far.

[Reporter:] I know it was sort of inconsequential given the outcome, but you know, staying out there for as long as you did in the field, is that, you know, frustrating? And if so, what are the things that the guys take away from that, that they try and apply the next time they go on the field?

[Aiden Markram:] Yeah, naturally it's frustrating I suppose when you want to try and bowl a team out as quick as you can, but we had pretty good plans in place I felt and went past the bat quite a bit in the back end of the innings. And the odd ball falling in no-man's land didn't help much. But I think it was good for us to be able to tap into death plans to a batter that was in and putting us under a bit of pressure. So, I think there was a lot of value in that for us. And then naturally to keep taking wickets from the other end is also good for the bowling unit. So sometimes you can get a bit frustrated in the field but I think the game comes to an end and you sit back and you realise the good value that was out there in what happened for us.

[Reporter:] Peaking at the right time is kind of a tricky factor when it comes to long tournaments, but given how South Africa have played so far, two excellent games at the start, now looking back at the last two games, one sided contest, how does it place you in terms of the contests that are ahead against New Zealand, India which are very two strong teams as well and what is the take on peaking at the right time?

[Aiden Markram:] Yeah, I am not too sure to be honest. Peaking is, suppose, a result of playing good cricket. And if we're going into each game trying to play good cricket, then we can see where it gets us. But the things that we've been doing well, we’ve put a lot of emphasis on those things and those sort of processes, for lack of a better word. I know that word is thrown around quite a bit, but that really is what it is. And like I've mentioned, for us as a batting unit, even as a bowling unit, we try to take really good options out there and make good decisions and if those options speak to the conditions, we feel like we'll be in the game. So, if we can do that for long periods of time and move forward each game then we hope it puts us in a good position.

Bangladesh player Mahmudullah (Bangla and English)post-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:] You were not in the team for a while. What kept you moving? Do you feel that you are batting a bit down the order?

[Mohammad Mahmudullah:] That was a good time, I think. I can't say anything regarding that, though I do want to talk about a lot of things, but probably this is not the right time to talk about it.

[Reporter:] When you are chasing such a big total, power hitting is very important. Do you feel that Bangladesh is lacking in power hitting and what is the reason behind it?

[Mohammad Mahmudullah:] On this sort of wicket, you need to create opportunity, first of all, to be in that position where you can win a game. I think we didn't do that today. And regarding power hitting, I think we have a bit of depth, but it all depends how the partnerships progress in the middle and where you can have a few wickets in hand to go out there and just blast everyone.

[Reporter:] [question in Bangla] Was it an ideal preparation to come to the World Cup?

[Mohammad Mahmudullah:] The thing is that I can't make comment on those things because it's an outside matter and it is not the right time to make any comment on those issues. Whatever happened - happened -  all we can do is try to win game for Bangladesh and we're trying, we're trying very hard but it’s not happening - but you will see a different Bangladesh team.

[Reporter:] Can you talk us through your innings, what was the goal you had in mind. Did at any point you think that the game was lost and you had to target your hundred? What was going through your mind?

[Mohammad Mahmudullah:] Actually, I didn’t target my hundred – to be honest, because you just bat – when me and Mustafizur were batting in the middle, I told him – just stay on, hold on. Let us play 50 overs, let’s see what score we can get because there is an issue with the run rate, because if you get out early and cheaply, it will affect our net rune rate too – so I just tried to go deep, just bat and try to score some runs for the team.

[Reporter:] Have you sounded off a warning to your think tank about your promotion in the battling line up?

[Mohammad Mahmudullah:] No, I didn't think about that. Yesterday coach told me that I'm going to bat at number six. So that's it. I just go out there and try to play my game. And that's it. Nothing really special.

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