Former captain Graeme Smith is confident South African batsman Aiden Markram will recover from a string of lbw dismissals soon enough.

Markram’s last four dismissals in Test match cricket have all been lbw. He has managed a mere 33 runs over that period.

‘Technically, he doesn’t have to change too much. It becomes a “feel” thing for him now. He needs to get guys to throw balls at him and he needs to train himself to hit the ball a certain place,’ said Smith.

‘He is not going to be able to change his setup and backlift now. For me, it’s more of a mental and “feel” thing for him now. He could hold his shape a little bit longer.

‘When I struggled with lbw, it was really that I focused on hitting the ball back to the bowler. His balance looks fine.

‘It looks like he is caught in the crease a little bit. He needs to be quite definitive with his foot movement and hit the ball back at the bowler. This is a growth area for him.’

The left-handed Smith got out lbw 44 times in 205 innings during a prolific career.

Markram will likely be retained for the second Test against Pakistan, which will get under way at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday.The hosts won the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion by six wickets.

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