Aiden Markram has been dropped twice by South Africa in his test career. It’s his own fault. Markram set such a superlative standard out of the gate — three centuries and two 90s in his first six months — that when the runs stopped raining,

Following decades of falling agonisingly short of success, South African cricket sits on the cusp of a first major triumph with 69 runs needed to win the World Test Championship at Lord’s on Saturday.

Their last major multi-nation tournament victory had come in the inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy way back in 1998.