Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Morné Morkel

Morné Morkel , is an out-and-out fast bowler who has the pace and height to trouble the best. Morne Morkel is one of the tallest bowlers ever to represent South Africa and the combination of the bounce he is able to achieve, the skiddy away swing of Dale Steyn, both at high pace, and the medium-pace seam of Vernon Philander gives the Proteas one of the most feared new ball attacks in world cricket. They are all currently ranked in the top 10 in Test cricket.

Here’s a list of things you may have or may have not known about Morné Morkel:

1. Morné hails from an Afrikaner family, who are big cricket fans. Morné is the youngest of three children of Albert and Mariana Morkel. Prior to marriage, he used to live with his brother Albie and team mate AB de Villiers in Pretoria
2.  Morné was born and raised in Vereeniging
3. His nickname is Moras
4. Morné Morkel  plays Test and limited overs cricket for South Africa and represents Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.
5. 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
6. Aged 19, Morkel began his first class career with a match for Easterns against the touring West Indians.
7.  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.
8. He claimed his first top-class wicket by dismissing Ramnaresh Sarwan, caught by Daryll Cullinan for 72, and improved to four no-balls in six overs.
9. Morné Morkel has played in England for Kent 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.
10. Morné Morkel played for Rajastan Royals in the first three seasons of IPL. In 2012, Morne took 25 wickets in 16 matches and collected the Purple Cap for the best wicket-taking bowler.