Morne Morkel

International career

Morné Morkel is a former South African cricketer who played for his national team from 2006 to 2018. He was known for his pace and ability to swing the ball. After retiring from playing, Morkel became the bowling coach for the India national cricket team in August 2024.

• 2006:
  • Morkel played his first Test match against India in Durban during the Boxing Day Test.
  • He also made his ODI debut for an Africa XI team against an Asia XI.
  • Morkel played in his first T20I at the first-ever World Twenty20 tournament.
• 2007:
  • He took part in the ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa. Morkel took 9 wickets in the tournament and was named the 12th man in ESPNcricinfo’s 'Team of the Tournament.'
• 2008:
  • Morkel was part of the South African squad touring Pakistan. He broke a bone in his foot before the first Test but still took 5 wickets in the match.
• 2012:
  • Along with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, Morkel was part of one of the best bowling attacks South Africa had ever seen.
• 2017:
  • Morkel played for the World XI in the Independence Cup against Pakistan in Lahore. This was a series to mark Pakistan's return to international cricket.
• 2018:
  • Morkel reached a big milestone by taking his 300th Test wicket during his final series against Australia.
  • His last Test match was in March 2018 against Australia, ending his playing career.

Leagues Participation

Morné Morkel played in several major T20 leagues during his career. Here is a summary of his participation.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

Morkel played for Rajasthan Royals in the first three seasons of the IPL. In 2012, he joined Delhi Daredevils and took 25 wickets in 16 matches. He played his last season with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.

Year	Team	Notes
2008-2010	Rajasthan Royals	Played for 3 seasons
2012	Delhi Daredevils	25 wickets in 16 matches, leading wicket-taker
2016	Kolkata Knight Riders	Last IPL season

Morkel played 70 IPL matches and took 77 wickets during his career. He made his debut on April 21, 2009, against Mumbai Indians and played his last match on May 25, 2016, against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

In 2016, Morkel played for St. Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League. He played 5 matches in the tournament.

Year	Team	Notes
2016	St. Lucia Zouks	Played 5 matches

Mzansi Super League (MSL)

Morkel joined the Tshwane Spartans in 2019 as a fast bowler. He played in 8 matches and took 12 wickets with an economy rate of 6.35.

Year	Team	Notes
2019	Tshwane Spartans	Played 8 matches, 12 wickets, economy 6.35

Big Bash League (BBL)

Morkel played for the Perth Scorchers in 2020 after replacing Chris Jordan for the rest of the season. He also played for Brisbane Heat in the 2022-23 season. In the 2019-2020 season, he played one match and missed 6 runs. In 2020-2021, he played 6 matches and missed 126 runs.

Year	Team	Notes
2019-2020	Brisbane Heat	Played 1 match, missed 6 runs
2020-2021	Brisbane Heat	Played 6 matches, missed 126 runs
2021	Brisbane Heat	Allowed 37 runs in 4 overs, match against Sydney Thunder

Domestic career

Morné Morkel started his first-class career at the age of 19 with Easterns in 2003. His debut match was against the West Indian cricket team in South Africa. He struggled with no-balls, delivering 17 in just five overs, but he also took his first wicket by dismissing Ramnaresh Sarwan. Morkel showed his skills with the bat, scoring 44 not out, which helped Easterns post 313 runs. He played three more matches in the 2003-2004 season, even though he continued to struggle with no-balls.

In the 2004-2005 season, Morkel played for Easterns again. He took his first five-wicket haul against Border, but Easterns lost the match. He also took nine wickets against the touring Zimbabweans, playing for a Combined XI of Easterns and Northerns. Morkel’s performance earned him a call-up to the Titans, where he took five wickets in one match against Western Province Boland. He ended the season with 20 wickets in first-class cricket and improved his no-ball issue.

Morkel played for the Titans in the 2006-2007 season and replaced Pieter de Bruyn in the team after three losses. He bowled well, and the Titans won two of their games, though they did not make it to the semi-finals. He finished the season with an impressive bowling average of 19, taking wickets whenever he was called on.

In 2005, Morkel went on tour with the South Africa Academy to Pakistan. He took six wickets in two matches. His performance was clean, and he didn’t bowl any no-balls. Later, Morkel struggled with no-balls again during a tournament in England with the Titans but still continued to show promise in other matches.

Morkel’s career continued with the Titans, where he took part in both first-class and limited-overs matches. He helped the Titans win several games, including taking a four-wicket haul in the Standard Bank Cup. Although he was dropped for a few key matches, he continued to contribute when called upon.

In 2019, Morkel joined the Tshwane Spartans for the Mzansi Super League, further extending his career in T20 cricket.

Morkel also had a stint in England with Kent County Cricket Club and Yorkshire in 2008. His time with Yorkshire was cut short due to a hamstring injury. After retiring from international cricket, he signed with Surrey as a Kolpak player but left in 2020 due to the challenges of being away from his family during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Records and achievements

Morne Morkel has earned many awards and set impressive records throughout his career.

• Test Cricket:
  • Player of the Series: 2017
  • Man of the Match: 2009-2010, 2011-2012
• ODI Cricket:
  • Player of the Series: 2010-2011
  • Man of the Match: 2011, 2012 (twice), 2014, 2015
  • Leading Wicket-Taker in the 2015 ODI World Cup: 17 wickets with an economy rate under 5 runs per over
• T20 Cricket:
  • Best Wicket-Taker in the 2007 T20 World Cup: 9 wickets at an average of 13.33
• Indian Premier League (IPL):
  • Purple Cap: 25 wickets in 16 matches for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2012

Personal life

Morne Morkel, now 40, married Roz Kelly in 2014. She is a sports journalist from Australia. The couple has a son named Arias Flynn Morkel. Morne is 1.96 meters tall.

Finance

Morne Morkel has a net worth of about $15 million. His wealth comes from his successful cricket career.

House

Morkel lives in Vereeniging, South Africa, as of 2023.

Scandals

In 2018, Morkel was reprimanded by the England Cricket Discipline Commission. This was for challenging a referee’s decision during a match between Hampshire and Surrey.

Fans

Morne Morkel has a large following. Fans reacted to his appointment as India's new bowling coach, saying:
“Morne Morkel’s in charge as India’s new bowling coach. The goal? Win BGT, CT, and WTC in the next year”. Morkel also has 260k followers on Instagram. A YouTube video shows him dancing with fans.