AIDEN MARKRAM will not be resting on his laurels as he prepares to make his Durham debut, and the South African is determined to lean on the teachings of compatriot Dale Benkentstein as he prepares for a four-game stint at Emirates Riverside, writes Simon Sinclair.

Durham secured the signing of the 23-year-old for the opening four matches of their County Championship Division Two campaign – starting with Friday’s home game against Kent.

South Africa’s head coach, Ottis Gibson, and batting coach, Benkenstein – both former Durham players – played a crucial role in convincing Markram to move to Chester-le-Street to further develop his game following an outstanding start to his Test career.

Markram will continue to take the advice of his batting coach, who scored 9,055 first-class runs for Durham and captained the team to their maiden County Championship triumph in 2008 as well as their Friends Provident Trophy success in 2007.

“They (Gibson and Benkenstein) played a lot of cricket here and have lived in this part of the world,” said Markram. “Ottis recommended it knowing the set-up here. They sold it to me and I bought in right away. It’s a great bunch of guys and I’m excited for the games to get started.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Dale. I really enjoy working with him - I like his approach to coaching as well. A lot of it is down to an awareness and a tactical point of view, he believes that players at this level and at international level are there for a reason. A lot of it’s in the mind and with your tactical awareness, that’s where I think Dale is brilliant. We get on really well.

“He’s pretty much a legend of this club. I’ve been fortunate to work with him and learn from him. If anyone knows this ground inside and out it’s probably Dale. I’ve spoken to him and I’m going to keep him close to me while I’m here. Whenever I find something that I need an answer to, he’ll be the guy I’ll get hold of.”

Markram is fresh from an outstanding series for South Africa against Australia, where he top scored with 480 runs, including two centuries – performances that were inevitably overshadowed by the various off-field controversies. As a result of his excellent performances, the opener reached 1,000 Test runs in the fewest Tests by a South African, breaking Graeme Smith’s record.

Despite his achievement, the 23-year-old admits facing the new ball in April will be a huge challenge as he adapts to English conditions, with the early-season Championship results suggesting that life will be far from straightforward at the crease.

“I’ve followed all the games online and it looks as though it’s going to be really tough,” he said. “It’s a good challenge to be faced with, it’s not something that’s really daunting if you prepare well. If you expose yourself to as much of it as you can, then you’re bound to get it right at some stage.

“It’s going to be competitive and it’s going to be different. I felt very drained after the Australia series - it was a very busy summer for us. I had a good week off at home and I feel fresh heading into these next four matches.

“We all know how this game works - form can change overnight. It’s nothing you can take for granted, but I’d rather have that than struggling away. It has been a nice break since the Australia (series), so coming into the season mentally fresh is going to be exciting.”