India, Sept. 2 -- South Africa vice-captain Aiden Markram was in fine touch as he smashed a 23-ball fifty against England in the first ODI of the three-match series at Headingley, Leeds, on Tuesday. The right-handed batter took a special liking to debutant pacer Sonny Baker as he kept dispatching him to the boundary. As a result of this onslaught, South Africa went past the 50-run mark in the sixth over, registering their third-fastest fifties in ODIs.

Markram also smashed the fastest fifty by a South African batter against England, breaking Chris Morris' record. The Proteas all-rounder had gone past the 50-run mark off 30 balls in 2016 at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.

Markram made his intentions clear right from the first ball, smashing...