In cricket, ten years is a long time, and Aiden Markram understands that the men's Twenty20 World Cup, where he will spearhead South Africa's challenge, is very different from a junior competition.
Having led a side to victory in a Cricket World Cup, Aiden Markram possesses an advantage that no other South African captain in cricket history had.
Apart from winning the 1998 Champions title, South Africa's only other international cricket title is the 2014 Under-19 World Cup.
In cricket, ten years is a long time, and Markram understands that a youth competition and the men's T20 World Cup, where he will captain South Africa's campaign, which begins on Monday in New York against Sri Lanka, are very different.
"There aren't so many eyes watching you in an age-group tournament, and as a youngster, you are maybe a bit oblivious to pressure," Markram told AFP in a telephone interview.
In eight games—all played at home—the squad only earned two victories under Markram's leadership.
They lost all three of their games against the West Indies last week in Jamaica, even though Markram and six other Indian Premier League (IPL) players were not present.
South Africa, ranked seventh by the International Cricket Council, will be entering its first World Cup.
However, Markram thinks the statistics don't reflect the whole story because South Africa rarely fielded a squad at full strength because they distributed opportunities to new players and controlled workloads.
"We've got a good team," he said.
With players of the calibre of Quinton de Kock, Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and the thrilling Tristan Stubbs, one of the stars of the most recent IPL, South Africa has a potentially dangerous batting lineup.
De Kock was the only player that faced the West Indies.
According to Coach Walter, he selected bowlers he thought would be able to strike in a T20 match's vital opening overs.
The team's fastest bowler, Anrich Nortje, is an important member of the squad, but following his long-term stress fracture recovery, he struggled in the IPL and against the West Indies.
"He had a massive injury and a lot of time away from the game but we all back him and know what he can do," said Markram.
After participating in the IPL final in Chennai on Sunday, the skipper of South Africa, Klaasen, and Marco Jansen only made it to the team's training camp in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday night.
"In a way, it is quite nice to get straight into training and getting ready for Monday. Sri Lanka have a great T20 team and it's important to get off to a good start."