Aiden Markram has put his hand up for the Proteas’ ODI No.4 batting spot, but he warns that he is no AB de Villiers.
Markram has made a stunning start to his international career, scoring 1 000 Tests runs at an average of 55.
That form saw him named Proteas Newcomer of the Year at the CSA Awards this weekend.
But things were different in the 50-over game when he was saddled with the captaincy against India and only managed 193 runs in his seven games.
Coach Ottis Gibson struggled to find a natural replacement for AB in their last ODI series with Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and JP Duminy all failing to make an impact in the 5-1 defeat to India in the December/January series.
However, like with the captaincy, the 23-year-old Test opener won’t shy away from the challenge of batting in the middle order.
He tells Sport24: “It’s a little bit foreign to me, having opened for most of my life, but there have been a few white ball games with the Titans and in the Indian series where I have batted at No.4.
“It’s still quite important that whoever does fill that role makes it their own and plays their own game in that role.
“Whether you get the job done like AB does or whoever... as long as the job gets done.”