South African right arm fast bowler Morne Morkel has decided to retire from international cricket after the home Test series against Australia next month because of continuous demanding schedule of the game.
Morne has reiterated it was not an easy decision at all for him to make but, sees this as a side one for his family right now.
The 33 year old stated, “demanding schedule has put a lot of strain on my family life”.
“It was an extremely tough decision but I feel the time is right to start a new chapter,” he said in a Cricket South Africa (CSA) release.
“I have a young family and a foreign wife, and the current demanding international schedule has put a lot of strain us. I have to put them first and this decision will only benefit us going forward.” He further added.
He made his test debut back in 2006 versus India and has played 83 tests so far for 294 wickets at an average of 28. He is the fifth highest wicket taker for southafrica in test cricket.
Finally he said, “I have loved every minute that I have played in the Proteas jersey, and I am incredibly grateful to my teammates, Cricket South Africa, and my family and friends for the support over the years. I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in me and I am excited for what lies ahead. For now, all of my energy and focus is on helping the Proteas win the upcoming series against Australia”.
Him stating that there”s a lot of cricket left in him means obviously he can be seen applying his trade in leagues around the world which means there are possible opportunities for his fans to watch him play again beyond the australia series.
We wish Morne all the luck for his future.
