Proteas: Morne Morkel on his no-ball curse

As the Proteas aim to get back on track quickly in Friday’s second Test against England in Nottingham, they would do well to follow Morne Morkel’s calm example.

With Kagiso Rabada absent, the lanky 32-year-old fast bowler will have to be the leader of the attack.

Also read: Faf doesn’t want Kagiso Rabada to apologise to Proteas

And he’s not worried about that responsibility.

But to make sure Morkel does what he’s supposed to, he needs to make sure he stops bowling untimely no-balls.

It cost the Proteas dearly in the 211-run defeat at Lord’s.

Here’s Morkel’s take on the issue.

How he feels about the unwanted record of 13 Test wickets from no-balls…

It’s a world record, what can I say? (Laughs). Somebody needs to hold a record I suppose. It’s 13 wickets I would’ve like to have taken in my career but it wasn’t supposed to be.

What goes through his mind when he’s taken a wicket off a no-ball…

It’s part of the game. England bowled a couple of no-balls too. You can’t make any excuses for something like that. It’s something you can control. It’s also something that I’m obviously going to continue working on.

Why he think he bowled those crucial no-balls…

I’m a bowler who needs a bit of rhythm to feel comfortable. I need a bit of time to feel comfortable at the crease. Unfortunately, I bowled a no-ball at a crucial stage (Morkel dismissed Ben Stokes on 44) and you can’t give extra lives to players like Joe Root and Stokes. I think it was a rush of blood to the head. I wanted to create something with the softer, older ball and I over-stepped.

Does he curse himself after something like that?

No, not really. It’s not the first time I’ve bowled a no-ball. It’s not going to end my career. So I’m cool about it.

What does one do to stop doing it?

If I had the magic answer, I would certainly tell you. In the end, it’s about getting overs under belt. That’s when you start feeling comfortable and getting the timing right. I just think we wanted to make something happen and became too overeager. There’s nothing I can do about it from a technical point of view. I can’t make my run-up shorter or longer. You just have to stick to your method.

On having Faf du Plessis back as captain…

He’s the chosen one to lead this team. He’s done so well. Faf is an open-minded guy, he gives you carte blanche to try formulating your own plans and setting your own fields. But he will challenge you if you step out of line. 

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