As South Africa prepare to face Australia in the decisive third T20I of the ongoing series, all eyes are firmly set on skipper Aiden Markram, who will be hoping to end a prolonged dip in form that has seen him go without a half-century in the format since October 2022.

The three-match series is currently level at 1-1, and with the decider looming, Markram’s role at the top of the order has come under scrutiny. In the first two T20Is, he managed scores of just 12 and 18, continuing a lean patch that dates back nearly three years.

Markram’s last T20I fifty came in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 against India at Perth, where he played a pivotal knock of 52 in a tense chase of 134. However, since that innings, he has failed to cross the 50-run mark in 30 consecutive T20I innings, scoring 555 runs at an average of 21.34 and a strike rate of 138.40. His highest score during this period remains 49, and he has reached 20 or more on just 11 occasions.