Follow UsSouth African opener Aiden Markram insisted there will be no mental scarring from his side's previous failures when they face holders Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's, starting on June 11.
The Proteas have suffered several agonising near-misses in major tournaments, including last year's T20 World Cup final in Barbados. They needed just 30 more runs to win, with 30 balls and six wickets remaining, yet somehow contrived to lose in devastating fashion against India.
But Markram, South Africa's captain in that match and one of five survivors from the game in the WTC final squad, is confident there will be no hangover for a red-ball side led by Temba Bavuma.
"This team is a bit different. The few of us that have been a part of previous events that didn't go our way have dealt with it, have obviously chatted to each other and made sure we've buried it nicely and taken some good lessons from it,” Markram told reporters at Lord's on Sunday.
"But besides from that now, it's more about the excitement of having another opportunity to actually do the job. So that's pretty much where the mind is at the moment."
As an opener, Markram will have the tough task of trying to blunt a formidable Australia bowling line-up in an eagerly anticipated final that starts on June 11 (Wednesday). But South Africa, with Kagiso Rabada leading the way, have an impressive pace attack of their own.
"When you're opening the batting, obviously your responsibility is to calm the changing room down, get the team off to a good start and get us ahead of the game," he said.
"That's the challenge, that's what excites us. When you're preparing against your bowlers who are world-class, it can only help you as a batter, as uncomfortable as it can be at times. But that's the gauge - that you judge where your game is at."
South Africa won seven Tests in a row to qualify for the final, a run that featured several short series. "A lot of our series have been two-game series, so in order to win, you can't start slow. That's helped us along the way.
“We know the importance of starting well, trying to get ahead of the game early and how important each session is going to be. There's no second dip at it. We have to make sure we hit the ground running and are nice and sharp come day one."
Talking about his form, Markram said, "I'm feeling good. I feel like I'm moving well. The IPL is obviously a completely different format, but it was nice to come into a game feeling good. I'm pleased to be in that headspace at the moment, and when you're feeling like this, it's really about cashing in and trying to make a difference for the team."