South African all-rounder Albie Morkel calls it quits from all forms of cricket

Albie Morkel, the South African all-round cricketer, has decided to announce his retirement from all forms of cricket. His career spanned almost a couple of decades and he turned out to be a stalwart of Proteas’ cricket. He plied his trade in one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is in which he scored 58, 782 and 572 runs respectively and last donned the national colours back in 2015 in a T20I against India.

The Transvaal-born was also effective with the ball in hand, having picked up 77 wickets at the highest level. He last played competitive cricket, representing Durban Heat in the inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL). After hanging his boots, the 37-year-old expressed his gratitude to Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Titans and mentioned playing for the country as a massive honour.

Professional sport can be a ruthless space

“Time has run out for me on the cricket field, and I would like to announce my retirement from the game. The last 20 years of my life took me on an incredible journey, with so many awesome memories that I will cherish forever. I would like to thank Jacques Faul and everyone involved at the Titans for giving me the opportunity to live my dream,” Morkel mentioned.

“The squad is in a healthy state and I’m looking forward to seeing the progress that the younger players will make. I will forever be a big Titans fan. I want to say a big thanks to Cricket South Africa, because it was a huge honour to represent my country. Thank you to my family, friends, supporters and sponsors who were there for me through thick and thin.”

“Most importantly my wife who played an unbelievable supporting role, allowing me to do what I love. Professional sport can be a ruthless space to operate in, and it’s impossible to do it without a solid support system. Thank you so much,” he added.

Though he couldn’t quite feature in the national team consistently enough, he went to play a number of matches in the domestic circuit where he racked up 10 centuries and over 600 wickets. Morkel also honed his skills in 91 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), representing Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals, then Daredevils and didn’t flatter to deceive by any means.

Morkel also tweeted about his retirement. Here’s the tweet:

That’s the end for me and what a journey it’s been! Plenty of memories good and bad, but I was blessed with a very long career. Thanks @Titans_Cricket @OfficialCSA, will enjoy the game now from the other side. pic.twitter.com/sXik0KYFbz

— Albie Morkel (@albiemorkel) January 9, 2019

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