Aiden Markram shares a drink with fan after WTC Final heroics — turns out he's a friend from school
Aiden Markram etched his name into cricketing folklore with a match-winning 136 in the fourth innings at Lord’s, powering South Africa to a historic five-wicket win over Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. His incredible knock earned him the Player of the Match award and ended a 27-year ICC trophy drought for the Proteas facebook.com+6
The celebrations took a personal turn when Markram spotted a familiar face among the energetic crowd. “One of my mates from school,” he revealed with a grin during the post-match press conference. Amid the chaos of jubilant team celebrations, his friend held out a beer. Initially hesitant—“it’s too busy, it’s chaos”—Markram relented when offered the drink: “Oh, here’s a beer.… OK, I’m in.” That beer became his first of the night, with more no doubt to follow
Cameras captured the iconic moment: the champion cracking open a smile, embracing his friend, and downing the beer—kick-starting the post-final festivities
The emotional resonance of the victory was palpable nationwide, with teammates like Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada visibly moved in the dressing room. Now, South Africa will turn focus toward defending their WTC crown and pursuing more ICC silverware in the coming years.