Morne Morkel stood out as a formidable exponent of pace bowling, wielding a combination of high-speed deliveries, often reaching the upper 140 kph range, and exceptional skill during his peak. Initially a crucial part of South Africa’s potent pace attack, his role shifted to first change when Vernon Philander joined the Test squad. Morkel played a vital, albeit underappreciated, role in South Africa’s ascent to claim the Test mace from England.
Despite a reduction in his share of wickets, he was the leading wicket-taker on the 2012 Australia tour, contributing significantly to the team’s successful defense of their No. 1 ranking. Throughout his T20i career, the 38-year-old speedster took 47 wickets with just an economy of 7.5. The economy is phenomenal considering the fact that he majorly bowled at death upfront in the innings
Let us look at Morkel’s top three best T20i spells throughout his career;
4/17 vs New Zealand in Durban in 2007
In the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, the South African team handed the New Zealand team their first defeat courtesy of a brilliant bowling performance from Morne Morkel. The former South African bowler showed his prime form with the ball and registered his career-best figure of 4/17 in four overs.
In the match, the South African legendary bowler decimated the New Zealand top order picking up wickets of Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, and Scott Styris in his first spell. In the second spell, he also picked up Jacob Oram.
4/20 vs. Afghanistan in Bridgetown in 2010
In the 2010 edition of the T20 World Cup Afghanistan got steamrolled by some ruthlessness from Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt, and Morne Morkel upfront. Defending a modest total of 140 runs, Morkel came out all guns blazing as he registered a brilliant bowling figure of 4/20 in just three overs.
2/15 vs. West Indies in North Sound in 2010
In one of the most interesting T20I games, South Africa clinched off a nail-biting finish against the host West Indies by just one run. In that low-scoring game, the South African team’s bowling lineup headed by Johan Botha performed exceptionally in defending such a low total. Morkel ended the match with a bowling figure of 2/15 in his allocated four overs. The spell was special as he took the wicket of well-settled Dwayne Bravo (40), which proved to be a match turning moment in the game.