Albie Morkel out of action with ankle injury – Cricket News Update
South African all-rounder Albie Morkel is expected to be out of action for a period of up to 10 days after sustaining an ankle injury, with Faf du Plessis having been called in as a replacement for the Proteas’ squad in the ongoing Test series against England.
Morkel was initially drafted into the squad as a reserve, in place of Marchant de Lange – the young pacer left the tour during the first week, owing to his inability to recover in time for the Tests after having sustained a back injury during the unofficial T20 tri-series South Africa played in Zimbabwe this June. Morkel, who had been playing for Somerset in the Friends Life t20, served as an easy replacement for the 21-year-old right-armer.
Despite being a reserve, 31-year-old Morkel played a vital role during the team’s tour match against Worcestershire, at the County Ground at New Road in Worcester from July 27 to 28. In the presence of members of the Test XI (such as Jacques Rudolph, JP Duminy, and Alviro Petersen), who were unable to put up much of a fight, Morkel scored a half-century, in addition to establishing a 91-run 4th-wicket stand with skipper AB de Villiers.
The chances of Morkel (who has only played one Test for the national side – against Australia at Cape Town in March 2009) coming into contention for the second Test match at Headingley were slim. However, he will be remaining with the squad until the results of his scans come in, and is expected to be available for the final match at Lord's in London should the team require him.
Meanwhile, du Plessis will be serving as a reserve in Morkel’s stead during the team’s second encounter with the Poms in Leeds, due to last from August 2 to 6. The right-hander is due to captain South Africa A against Ireland next week – a commitment which he will be fulfilling if he is not needed at Headingley.
The 28-year-old has yet to make his Test debut for the national side – however, his first-class record has been steadily improving, and with 4381 runs from 77 matches under his belt, the all-rounder has been tipped for a Test spot by his franchise Titans.
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