Morne Morkel is a professional South African cricketer, who was born on October 6, 1984 in Vereeniging, Gauteng. He is primarily a right-arm fast bowler, who can also be useful as a left-handed batsman in the lower order.
Morne Morkel made his Test debut for South Africa on December 26, 2006 versus India in Durban. As of August 11, 2008, he has represented the team in 10 matches taking 32 wickets, his career best being 7 for 113 in a match, at an economy rate of 3.71.
Morne Morkel made his first appearance in a One Day International (ODI) match for Africa XI against Asia XI in Bangalore on June 6, 2007 and scalped three wickets in his debut match. As of September 3, 2008 he has scalped 21 wickets from 13 matches, his best performance being 4 for 36, at an economy rate of 4.95.
Morne Morkel was a member of the South African squad for the introductory Twenty20 (T20) World Championship held in South Africa in 2007. In the tournament, he made his International Twenty20 (T20I) debut for the team versus the West Indies in Johannesburg on September 11. His brilliant performance of 4 for 17 was instrumental in South Africa’s win over New Zealand in the competition. Morne Morkel played a crucial role for the team in the tournament by claiming 9 wickets at 13.33 with an economy rate of 6.00.
Morne Morkel made his First-class debut for the Easterns in 2003 versus the West Indies. His maiden First-class wicket was that of the West-Indian cricketer, Ramnaresh Sarwan. In the last game of the 2004-05 season for the Easterns, he made his presence felt by taking his maiden five-wicket haul versus Border. He bowled brilliantly to take 9 wickets when he played for a Combined XI of Easterns and Northerns in the match against Zimbabwe that season. In the Standard Bank Cup the following season, he played a pivotal role for the Titans by taking 4 wickets that helped the team win the match defeating Cape Cobras. This victory played a key role in helping the Titans finish at the second place in the league stage. Morne Morkel has also represented the Kent and Yorkshire teams at the domestic level.
Morne Morkel was selected to be a part of the Rajasthan Royals team for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008. He was signed for US$ 60,000 and was part of the team that won the tournament.
