Aiden Markram admits that the trip to England has helped build his confidence in England conditions ahead of the World Cup.

The 23-year-old scored a half-century as Hampshire posted a massive 301-9. But it wasn’t the easiest of knocks for Markram. He scored his 88 uncharacteristically slower than usual, understandable for a batsman still getting used to the conditions.

He showed signs of his adaptation in his analysis of the wicket in Southampton, a pitch where the Proteas will take on India and the West Indies in the World Cup.

‘It was quite tough, we were not sure that 300 was a good score on this wicket,’ he told the media on Tuesday. ‘We played here a few days ago on the same strip and chased down 300 quite comfortably, so that was at the back of our minds.

‘The pitch felt a bit slower [than the game against Glamorgan], by no means did it make it a bad pitch at all, but it just made it a case of adapting to it. The pitch the other day was an absolute belter, and today it slowed up a bit.

‘As expected with the weather that we had, a bit of time in the sun will naturally slow the wicket down.’

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He humbly credited the collective batting performance as key to his side’s win, despite top-scoring in the match.

His performance was bold and will give the Proteas a boost for their World Cup endeavours. But Markram denied accepting the move to England as a preparation tactic for the World Cup.

‘I never came here with the intention to prepare for the World Cup’, said Markram. ‘That was never the case. The case was to learn and grow as much as I could while I’m still young. But it can only help to spend time in the middle and playing at venues where I could be playing.

‘The puzzle is building and I’m putting the pieces in the right place, which is very fortunate.’

Markram will not be available for the entire Royal London One Day Cup, as he revealed that he will return home on the 6 May to begin his preparations for the tournament, which kicks off on 30 May.