Albie Morkel Delighted With Opportunity to Play for South Africa Again
Albie Morkel had last played for South Africa during the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in 2014 but he made a wonderful comeback by picking up his best figures in T20Is.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: October 06, 2015 05:03 pm IST
Albie Morkel had literally given up hopes of making a national comeback before David Wiese's injury provided him with a second chance as he grabbed it with both hands with a Man of Match performance of 3/12, which he termed as one he would "remember forever". (I Thought I Would Never Play for South Africa: Albie Morkel)
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"I am just happy for the opportunity. In cricket, its tough sometimes. Today was my night. I am fortunate that I got a Man of the Match award on my comeback game and it is something I will remember forever," Morkel said at the post match news conference. (Faf du Plessis Heaps Praise on Albie Morkel)
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Morkel was not chosen for the first T20I in Dharamsala but Faf du Plessis picked the speedster in place of Marchant de Lange in what proved to be a masterstroke on the Barabati pitch that suited pace and bounce.
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"It was awesome. Even two weeks ago, I didn't know what was happening on this tour. A freak accident to David Wiese gave me this opportunity. The boys welcomed me into the side very quickly. I arrived here only last Friday. It's very satisfying. I have put in a lot of effort in the last season with Titans, my state side, without any visions of playing for South Africa. I certainly should not be saying that I should be playing. I am certainly not going to make any statement saying I should be in the team," Morkel said.
Riding on Morkel's best figures, South Africa dismissed India for their second-lowest T20 total before securing a series clinching six-wicket win.
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"Pitch suited our bowling attack nicely. There was a lot of bounce, uneven bounce actually, something our bowlers as a unit really exploited and we had India under the pump."
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Morkel was also all praise for Kagiso Rabada and termed him a natural talent as the rookie speedster impressed with his speed and bounce and returned with figures of 1/18.
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"I had never played with Rabada before today and watched him at the warm-up before the first game. I could honestly say that in my 16 years of first-class career, I have not seen anyone like him at the age of 19. I grew up seeing a young Dale Steyn come through the ranks. Rabada has got serious heart, and got serious bounce. He hit 150 today. You don't often see that. He is going to be a fantastic prospect for South Africa and win many games. He is one of those guys with special talent. You can't coach what he has got, he is just a natural talent," added Morkel.