‘I leave with a very happy heart’ – Morne Morkel
Morne Morkel has decided to move away from international cricket at the end of the upcoming Test series against Australia at home to “start a new chapter” but feels “great mentally and physically” to continue playing league cricket around the world.
There has been no formal word on what exactly those plans are and Morkel has stressed that anything he might do or not do will be decided after the fixtures against Australia. “I’m going to look to play some cricket, still feel I can offer in some sort of form. But that decision will take place only after this series,” he said on Monday, 26 February.
Walking away is never easy and in Morkel’s case, it’s quite early as he is only 33.
“Obviously cricket is what I love and I’ve done it all my life, so it’s a tough decision making this call. Playing for the Proteas is something very special but like I said in my statement, family comes first. My wife was away, my family was away for 10 weeks now, and I’ve to work on my commitment as well now, which was a very tricky part for me,” he said. “Sitting them down and discussing with my family, we decided – I decided – that it will be better for me to start a chapter with them now and focus more on family.”
As far as families go, the South Africa national team is a close-knit one too, one that has been created by the senior players over a period of time. Morkel hoped to give his best in the series against Australia to leave that family on a happy note.
“Obviously it’s a close family. The culture we have created over the past couple of years is something special and that’s one thing I’m definitely going to miss, and working out with the guys on the field,” said Morkel. “Yeah, the resilience we have shown as a team over the years is something very close to me, but like I said, for me the focus is now to go out and leave it all out there on the field. Hopefully prepare as best as I can, as hard as I can, and hopefully get on top.”
The first Test against Australia starts in Durban on 1 March, and the series will then stop in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg. “We’ve beaten Australia in Australia but I have never been part of a team to get one over them in our backyard,” pointed out Morkel. “That will be the main focus. For me the main important thing is not my retirement it’s about winning the series. That’s also one of the reasons I wanted to get it (the announcement) out of the way as soon as possible. It’s cricket time, now it’s work time.”
Dale Steyn has been in and, more often, out of the Test side in recent times, and Morkel’s departure will leave the squad quite shorn of experience despite the presence of Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada. Lungi Ngidi gave a good account of himself in the recent Tests against India, but while there are many talented pacemen in the pipelines, there will be some concerns about the immediate future.
“Unfortunately things didn’t go our way in the white-ball format against India but give the guys time, give them overs and give them just the opportunity to grow and I’m very positive and confident that with the culture that we’ve got with the senior guys currently in the squad that these guys will grow,” said Morkel. “So I leave with a very happy heart. I’m also always going to be a phone call away for the younger guys if they want to have a chat … I will always have an open line to them and the team; I’d like to grow with them on this journey although I’m not going to be in the change room.
“I honestly think that the crop of bowlers that we have got in the squad at the moment, give them a couple of months under Ottis (Gibson) and in this environment, they will be more than capable of handling the load and winning that trophy (ICC Cricket World Cup 2019) for us. Yes, it was a tough decision but at the end of the day it was important to also look at that.”
Since making his international debut in the Durban Test against India in December 2006, Morkel has played 83 Tests, 117 one-day internationals and 44 Twenty20 Internationals, picking up 529 wickets. Along the way, there have been memorable wins and outstanding individual performances.
“I think (picking) one moment is quite tricky, there are so many,” said Morkel. “Obviously when I made my debut in 2006 against India was very special. Becoming the No.1 Test team in the world, beating Australia in Australia and England in England … yeah, so many at the moment are running through my mind.”