Nine questions for Morne Morkel

From the April 2010 issue of SPIN magazine

When you went out to bat at No 11 in the second Test at Kolkata with two hours’ play left, it seemed very unlikely that South Africa could save the Test. How was it to get so close and then getting out with only enough time left for a couple of overs?

It’s all a blur to me. I had a viral infection and was very ill so I was so dosed up with antibiotics and injections and I don’t remember the first 15 overs of my innings. I just know that I was there caring for my life, fighting for it. 

Then I suddenly realised it was quarter past four and we were really getting close to saving it. That’s when everything kicked in. It was one of my most disappointing games, coming so far and not finishing the job [India took the game to level the two-game series 1-1 and stay top of the ICC team table].

I have been on the wrong end of this three times in a row. Twice we needed just one wicket and England saved a draw and I was involved by bowling in the last few overs. And then this. So hopefully things will turn for me when it matters next.

 

It was a fantastic effort though  – keeping out 60 balls against Harbhajan et al and seven men around the bat. How much did working with Duncan Fletcher helped your batting?

Duncan helped me a lot when he was part of the squad and Kepler Wessels has been great since he joined us recently. Kepler was also a left-hander and he has been awesome for me. Just hopefully I can grow from here.

Mickey Arthur recently resigned as coach and Corrie van Zyl has replaced him. You guys were all very close for Mickey. Will it take time for Corrie and the players to develop a good relationship?

It was sad what happened with Mickey – it all happened so suddenly. The great thing on this tour is that we are all professionals and we all understand that our efforts for our country are bigger than just who is coaching us. Putting the green and gold over our heads is far more important than worrying about the coach. 

But Corrie has fitted in beautifully. His work ethic and discipline has been awesome and the guys are really enjoying him. It was good to win the first Test under him, that settled the butterflies in his stomach and his mindset.

The tour got tougher after that but I’m happy that Corrie’s contract has been extended till after the World Cup. He is a fantastic mentor in the bowling department and I enjoy working with him. I think I can only grow as a cricketer under him.

What is your first significant cricket memory?

I was 12 and bowling for my school under-13 side. The opposition needed four runs off the last over and they had three wickets standing. I started the over with two dot balls and then took a hat-trick. I told the guys that story in the changing room the other day and I’ll never forget it. I think it made me really get into cricket.

 

When did you get bigger and stronger than him your older brother, Albie?

My first two years after school, 

I joined up with Easterns and worked under Ray Jennings, who put me through my paces in terms of fitness. But after joining the Titans and from working with the Proteas fitness trainer, Rob Walter,
I realised that I wanted to become the best in the world. To reach that goal I needed
to become stronger and fitter so I stayed at home one winter, skipped the county season,
and worked hard at my game and fitness. 

 

Were the two of you very competitive as children?

The three-year age gap meant that he would make provincial colours at a certain age group and then it was my goal to also achieve that when I reached that age. But after all that, when we started playing on a professional level together, I think we played more to support each other than to be competitive. You are going to have bad days at provincial or international level and to have someone as close as your brother next to you, then it is fantastic to have that comfort.

 

You had a stress fracture in
the 2007/08 season. How does
a six foot five fast bowler
stay fit with such a gruelling schedule?

This series against India has been a tough one and so was the one against England before it but body-wise I’m feeling very good. You will always have small niggles when you wake up in the morning but that’s part of the job that we do. You play so much cricket these days that you can’t blame your body for breaking down sometimes. It’s just a matter of looking after the niggles properly, doing your rehab and making sure that you are fit to play for your country. 

 

So after back-to-back tours,
it’s six weeks of IPL, then straight to the ICC World Twenty20 and on to a full
tour of the West Indies. That must be draining mentally as well as physically? 

I definitely miss my family and the things I do back home but we signed up for this hard job, it is what we do and what we love. It’s awesome to be on tour with the boys and we are very lucky to be together, seeing the world and to experience all different things. So I can’t complain. The day that I start complaining and moaning will be the day that I should probably pack it all up.

Interview: Nick Sadleir