Morne Morkel
Encyclopedia
Morné Morkel is a cricket
er who plays Test
and limited overs cricket for South Africa
. He is a right-arm fast bowler with "genuine pace" according to former South African fast bowler Allan Donald
, and a useful lower order left-handed batsman. Some believe he has the ability to become a genuine bowling all rounder. However, after a poor run of form, Morkel was dropped from the Test team in 2009. His elder brother Albie Morkel
, took his place. He regained his Test place in 2010.
against the touring West Indians. He took the new ball with older brother Albie
, who later played ODI cricket for South Africa, and began by delivering 17 no-balls in a five-over spell costing 54 runs against West Indies' batsmen Chris Gayle
, Daren Ganga
and Ramnaresh Sarwan
. His first batting effort, however, was an unbeaten 44, which included a ninth-wicket stand of 141 with Albie as Easterns posted 313, trailing by 21. He claimed his first top-class wicket by dismissing Ramnaresh Sarwan
, caught by Darryl Cullinan for 72, and improved to four no-balls in six overs.
Morkel played three further matches for Easterns in the 2003–04 season, which was Easterns' last in the SuperSport Series
before South African domestic cricket was restructured. He continued to struggle with no-balls, bowling 41 in 71 completed overs
. He took five wickets in the season, and Easterns won the SuperSport Series shield, for the teams knocked out of the main tournament.
from Centurion
, did not field Morkel for any of the first four games, but played him in their final game of the season against Border
. In that Morkel took his first five-wicket-haul, though Border won by eight wickets after Easterns conceded 383 for nine and 108 for two. He also took nine wickets against the touring Zimbabweans, playing for a Combined XI of Easterns
and Northerns
, in which rain "rescued" the Zimbabweans from defeat. Morkel earned the call up to the first-tier Titans
for the final game of the SuperSport Series season, and took three for 90 on the first day, which he improved to five for 122 before their opponents Western Province Boland declared. The Titans drew the match after following on, and Morkel ended the 2004–05 season with 20 first class wickets at a bowling average
of 18.20. His no-ball ratio also improved, with 24 from 128.1 overs.
Morkel went on tour to Pakistan with South Africa Academy
in August 2005, taking six wickets in two four-day matches, which did not have first class status. His wickets included four former Pakistani Under-19 players, all them batsmen or allrounders. He also went through without bowling a no-ball, but that problem returned when he played for the Titans in the International 20:20 Club Championship
in Leicester
, England in September. Morkel bowled two overs, with three no-balls and two wides, cost 41 runs, and the Titans lost by 67 after getting bowled out in 18 overs.
Morkel did not play in any of the first five first class games for the Titans in 2005–06, and also missed the first four Standard Bank Cup one-day games. However, after taking one for 24 from seven overs on one-day debut, where the team won by six wickets, he was retained for the remaining six games. He was responsible for one of ten four-wicket-hauls in the Standard Bank Cup that season, taking four for 41 as the Titans bowled out Cape Cobras for 189 to win by 19 runs and secured a top-two finish in the league stage. He took nine wickets at an average of 18.22 overall, but was dropped for Ethy Mbhalati in the semi-final, which the Titans won by ten wickets. He was then named in the initial eleven for the final, but he was subbed off for his brother Albie when the Titans were at 86 for six; the Titans lost by two wickets after Albie took three for 13. He was then given all six games for the Titans in Pro20, taking four wickets with an economy rate of 7.63 - largely increased by 60 runs in six overs in his last two matches, the last of which, the semi-final, had been shortened to a 7-over affair. He also played two first class matches in the SuperSport Series, contributing six wickets to the Titans' two victories, but was nevertheless dropped for the final three games and the final.
The 2006–07 season began with the renamed Standard Bank Cup, now known as the MTN Domestic Championship, where Morkel missed the first four games and instead played provincial cup cricket for Easterns. However, after the Titans had lost three successive games, Morkel replaced Pieter de Bruyn in the eleven, and conceded 17 runs from nine overs as the Titans successfully defended 213 in 45 overs against former internationals Murray Goodwin
and HD Ackerman of the Warriors. With Morkel, the team won two and lost three games, but still finished last in the league stage and did not qualify for the semi-finals. However, no bowler in the MTN Championship with more than five wickets had a lower bowling average than Morkel's 19.
Now recognition came quickly. Having taken six wickets in the one-run victory over Eagles in the SuperSport Series, and also having scored a half-century as the Titans set a target of 178, Morkel was called up to the Rest of South Africa side to face India two weeks later, thus missing the Titans' clash with Lions in the SuperSport Series. Morkel took four wickets, all of them in the first innings when India fell to 69 for five, and despite Alfonso Thomas
' haul of seven for 56 in the second innings, it was Morkel who replaced Dale Steyn
to make his Test debut three weeks later, on the 2006–07 Boxing Day Test
in Durban against India.
He made his ODI debut playing for an Africa XI side again their Asian counterparts and took 3 wickets. In the following game he opened the bowling with his brother Albie
and this was the first time in ODI history that two brothers have done so.
Morkel was then selected in the South African squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa, and went on to become one of the stars of the tournament, despite many feeling Twenty20 was a format with little scope for bowlers. Morkel bowled with consistent pace and accuracy, finishing with 9 wickets at 13.33 and an economy rate of 6.00, considered excellent in this form of the game. This haul included a matchwinning spell of 4/17 against New Zealand, all wickets being caught behind or bowled, and he was denied his 5th wicket in his final over only due to an incorrect no-ball call when he had clean bowled the batsman. This would have been the first 5 wicket hall ever taken in international Twenty20 cricket. The host nation may have gone on to be eliminated from the tournament, but Morkel's bowling, along with the big hitting of his brother Albie, was unquestionably one of their biggest positives to emerge from the event.
Morkel was subsequently selected for the tour of Pakistan, but unfortunately suffered a broken bone in his foot in the warm up match preceding the first test. Further opportunities are sure to lie ahead. The injury wasn't too severe and Morkel picked up five crucial wickets as Pakistan collapsed to 248 all out. He stated that he still felt more was to come from him
and began the 2008 season deputising for Rana Naved
at Yorkshire
. Rumours that he had been part of the second round of auctioning for the Indian Premier League
, and signed a $60,000 contract with Rajasthan Royals
, initially put Morkel's move to Yorkshire into doubt. However, Yorkshire were assured that he had not signed a contract to play in the IPL.
On his Yorkshire debut against Nottinghamshire
, Morkel picked up a hamstring injury which meant his time with Yorkshire was cut short. He played in only one County Championship
game for Yorkshire.
family, who are big cricket fans. Morné is the youngest of three children of Albert and Mariana Morkel, making Albie the second of three children.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who plays Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and limited overs cricket for South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
. He is a right-arm fast bowler with "genuine pace" according to former South African fast bowler Allan Donald
Allan Donald
Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...
, and a useful lower order left-handed batsman. Some believe he has the ability to become a genuine bowling all rounder. However, after a poor run of form, Morkel was dropped from the Test team in 2009. His elder brother Albie Morkel
Albie Morkel
Johannes Albertus Morkel , better known as Albie Morkel, is a South African cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bowls right-arm- medium fast and bats left-handed. He is famous for his six hitting abilities in Twenty20 cricket...
, took his place. He regained his Test place in 2010.
Debut
Aged 19, Morkel began his first class career with a match for EasternsEasterns cricket team
Easterns cricket team has played first-class cricket in South Africa since October 1991.For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, Easterns has merged with Northerns to form the Titans.-Honours:* Currie Cup - 2002–03; shared - * Standard Bank Cup - * South African...
against the touring West Indians. He took the new ball with older brother Albie
Albie Morkel
Johannes Albertus Morkel , better known as Albie Morkel, is a South African cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bowls right-arm- medium fast and bats left-handed. He is famous for his six hitting abilities in Twenty20 cricket...
, who later played ODI cricket for South Africa, and began by delivering 17 no-balls in a five-over spell costing 54 runs against West Indies' batsmen Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle
Christopher Henry "Chris" Gayle is a Jamaican cricketer who currently plays international cricket for the West Indies. He captained the West Indies' side from 2007 to 2010. He plays domestic cricket for Jamaica, and has also represented Worcestershire, the Western Warriors and the Kolkata Knight...
, Daren Ganga
Daren Ganga
Daren Ganga is a West Indian cricketer of East Indian descent. He is a right-handed top order batsman and part-time right-arm offbreak bowler. After debuting as a 19 year old he has found himself in and out of the West Indies team, playing regularly for and at times captaining the West Indies A...
and Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan is a West Indian cricketer of Indo-Guyanese origin and a member of the West Indies cricket team....
. His first batting effort, however, was an unbeaten 44, which included a ninth-wicket stand of 141 with Albie as Easterns posted 313, trailing by 21. He claimed his first top-class wicket by dismissing Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan is a West Indian cricketer of Indo-Guyanese origin and a member of the West Indies cricket team....
, caught by Darryl Cullinan for 72, and improved to four no-balls in six overs.
Morkel played three further matches for Easterns in the 2003–04 season, which was Easterns' last in the SuperSport Series
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
before South African domestic cricket was restructured. He continued to struggle with no-balls, bowling 41 in 71 completed overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
. He took five wickets in the season, and Easterns won the SuperSport Series shield, for the teams knocked out of the main tournament.
South African domestic career
In the 2004–05 season, Morkel played three more first class matches. Easterns, who had been placed in the second-tier UCB Provincial Cup and replaced by the franchise team TitansTitans cricket team
The Nashua Titans is the name used by the combined Easterns and Northerns first class cricket teams in South Africa. The home venues of the Titans are at SuperSport Park, Centurion and Willowmoore Park, Benoni...
from Centurion
Centurion, Gauteng
Centurion is an area with 279,430 inhabitants in Gauteng Province of South Africa, located between Pretoria and Midrand . Formerly an independent municipality, with its own town council, it is now part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality...
, did not field Morkel for any of the first four games, but played him in their final game of the season against Border
Border cricket team
Border cricket team is the team representing the Border province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa. The team began playing in March 1898....
. In that Morkel took his first five-wicket-haul, though Border won by eight wickets after Easterns conceded 383 for nine and 108 for two. He also took nine wickets against the touring Zimbabweans, playing for a Combined XI of Easterns
Easterns cricket team
Easterns cricket team has played first-class cricket in South Africa since October 1991.For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, Easterns has merged with Northerns to form the Titans.-Honours:* Currie Cup - 2002–03; shared - * Standard Bank Cup - * South African...
and Northerns
Northerns cricket team
Northerns cricket team has played first-class cricket in South Africa since December 1937....
, in which rain "rescued" the Zimbabweans from defeat. Morkel earned the call up to the first-tier Titans
Titans cricket team
The Nashua Titans is the name used by the combined Easterns and Northerns first class cricket teams in South Africa. The home venues of the Titans are at SuperSport Park, Centurion and Willowmoore Park, Benoni...
for the final game of the SuperSport Series season, and took three for 90 on the first day, which he improved to five for 122 before their opponents Western Province Boland declared. The Titans drew the match after following on, and Morkel ended the 2004–05 season with 20 first class wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 18.20. His no-ball ratio also improved, with 24 from 128.1 overs.
Morkel went on tour to Pakistan with South Africa Academy
South Africa Academy cricket team in Pakistan in 2005-06
The South African Academy team toured Pakistan for cricket matches against the Pakistan Academy in August 2005. The Academy team was made up of players aged around 20, who are all with the South African National Cricket Academy as trainees. Only one - Jean-Paul Duminy - had any international...
in August 2005, taking six wickets in two four-day matches, which did not have first class status. His wickets included four former Pakistani Under-19 players, all them batsmen or allrounders. He also went through without bowling a no-ball, but that problem returned when he played for the Titans in the International 20:20 Club Championship
International 20:20 Club Championship
The International 20:20 Club Championship is an international Twenty20 competition for club cricket teams similar to football's FIFA Club World Championship....
in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England in September. Morkel bowled two overs, with three no-balls and two wides, cost 41 runs, and the Titans lost by 67 after getting bowled out in 18 overs.
Morkel did not play in any of the first five first class games for the Titans in 2005–06, and also missed the first four Standard Bank Cup one-day games. However, after taking one for 24 from seven overs on one-day debut, where the team won by six wickets, he was retained for the remaining six games. He was responsible for one of ten four-wicket-hauls in the Standard Bank Cup that season, taking four for 41 as the Titans bowled out Cape Cobras for 189 to win by 19 runs and secured a top-two finish in the league stage. He took nine wickets at an average of 18.22 overall, but was dropped for Ethy Mbhalati in the semi-final, which the Titans won by ten wickets. He was then named in the initial eleven for the final, but he was subbed off for his brother Albie when the Titans were at 86 for six; the Titans lost by two wickets after Albie took three for 13. He was then given all six games for the Titans in Pro20, taking four wickets with an economy rate of 7.63 - largely increased by 60 runs in six overs in his last two matches, the last of which, the semi-final, had been shortened to a 7-over affair. He also played two first class matches in the SuperSport Series, contributing six wickets to the Titans' two victories, but was nevertheless dropped for the final three games and the final.
National recognition
Murray Goodwin
Murray William Goodwin is a cricketer who played 19 Tests and 71 One Day Internationals for Zimbabwe. He is a right-handed top order batsman strong on the back-foot and a good cutter and puller of the ball....
and HD Ackerman of the Warriors. With Morkel, the team won two and lost three games, but still finished last in the league stage and did not qualify for the semi-finals. However, no bowler in the MTN Championship with more than five wickets had a lower bowling average than Morkel's 19.
Now recognition came quickly. Having taken six wickets in the one-run victory over Eagles in the SuperSport Series, and also having scored a half-century as the Titans set a target of 178, Morkel was called up to the Rest of South Africa side to face India two weeks later, thus missing the Titans' clash with Lions in the SuperSport Series. Morkel took four wickets, all of them in the first innings when India fell to 69 for five, and despite Alfonso Thomas
Alfonso Thomas
Alfonso Clive Thomas is a South African cricketer who has represented his country in one Twenty20 International. He is a right arm fast-medium bowler and a big hitting lower-order batsman...
' haul of seven for 56 in the second innings, it was Morkel who replaced Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn
Dale Willem Steyn is a South African cricketer who plays in Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. He is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world and achieved the 900+ points benchmark on 13th Nov 2011. Steyn plays domestic cricket in South Africa for Cape Cobras...
to make his Test debut three weeks later, on the 2006–07 Boxing Day Test
Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2006-07
-1st ODI: 19 November :The first ODI was rained out without a ball being bowled, due to persistent rain in Johannesburg.-2nd ODI: 22 November :-3rd ODI: 26 November :-4th ODI: 29 November :...
in Durban against India.
He made his ODI debut playing for an Africa XI side again their Asian counterparts and took 3 wickets. In the following game he opened the bowling with his brother Albie
Albie Morkel
Johannes Albertus Morkel , better known as Albie Morkel, is a South African cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bowls right-arm- medium fast and bats left-handed. He is famous for his six hitting abilities in Twenty20 cricket...
and this was the first time in ODI history that two brothers have done so.
Morkel was then selected in the South African squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa, and went on to become one of the stars of the tournament, despite many feeling Twenty20 was a format with little scope for bowlers. Morkel bowled with consistent pace and accuracy, finishing with 9 wickets at 13.33 and an economy rate of 6.00, considered excellent in this form of the game. This haul included a matchwinning spell of 4/17 against New Zealand, all wickets being caught behind or bowled, and he was denied his 5th wicket in his final over only due to an incorrect no-ball call when he had clean bowled the batsman. This would have been the first 5 wicket hall ever taken in international Twenty20 cricket. The host nation may have gone on to be eliminated from the tournament, but Morkel's bowling, along with the big hitting of his brother Albie, was unquestionably one of their biggest positives to emerge from the event.
Morkel was subsequently selected for the tour of Pakistan, but unfortunately suffered a broken bone in his foot in the warm up match preceding the first test. Further opportunities are sure to lie ahead. The injury wasn't too severe and Morkel picked up five crucial wickets as Pakistan collapsed to 248 all out. He stated that he still felt more was to come from him
England
Morkel has played in England for KentKent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and began the 2008 season deputising for Rana Naved
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is a cricketer who plays for the Pakistani Test and One Day International teams...
at Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
. Rumours that he had been part of the second round of auctioning for the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
, and signed a $60,000 contract with Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals is an Indian Premier League franchise based on the city of the Jaipur captained and coached by former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.They were the champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League...
, initially put Morkel's move to Yorkshire into doubt. However, Yorkshire were assured that he had not signed a contract to play in the IPL.
On his Yorkshire debut against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, Morkel picked up a hamstring injury which meant his time with Yorkshire was cut short. He played in only one County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
game for Yorkshire.
Personal life
Morné hails from a AfrikanerAfrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
family, who are big cricket fans. Morné is the youngest of three children of Albert and Mariana Morkel, making Albie the second of three children.