Former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel has urged selectors to consider veteran batter Faf du Plessis for the future 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Morkel pointed out that although the former captain is 37, he is still playing well.
Du Plessis does not have a playing contract with Cricket South Africa (CSA). However, there have been calls for his recall to the national team for the T20 World Cup. He had an impressive IPL 2022 campaign, scoring 468 runs at a strike rate of 127.52 while leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
At an event in Melbourne to celebrate 100 days until the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia, Morkel opined:
“You want all your big-name players to play and Faf is still playing well at the age of 37. He is still playing well, moving well in the field and he has done exceptionally well for RCB (in the IPL). I would like to see those experienced players in the side. That is up to them (CSA) to work out, but I am definitely a big fan of it.”
Earlier, former South African captain Graeme Smith had also suggested that Du Plessis should be considered for the ICC event in Australia.
“They have an attack that is going to suit these conditions well” – Morkel on South Africa’s bowling
Analyzing the Proteas’ chances at the T20 World Cup, the former pacer reckoned that South Africa have the team to compete against the top sides in the tournament. He said:
“I honestly believe they have an attack that is going to suit these conditions well. Kagiso Rabada is a world class performer, Anrich Nortje did very well at the IPL and Shamsi is a quality spinner. I do believe that it is a well-balanced squad and in T20 cricket these days the teams are so close.”
Shifting focus to the batting department, Morkel asserted that the top-order should make an impression in Australia. He commented:
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“From a batting perspective, you can’t mention Quinton De Kock as he has been in some fantastic form. Aiden Markram is another quality player, while (Temba) Bevuma finds the way to score runs and rotate the strike although he is not is not your conventional T20 player. On these big fields (in Australia) where you can hit pockets and run well, he is going to be a big player.”
The Proteas recently drew a T20I series in India 2-2. They will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign on October 24 in Hobart against a qualifier from the First Round.
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