It’s common to see brothers on the same team in cricket, but on Sunday at the T20 World Cup, two brothers who have been playing together for years will sit in opposing dugouts and plan with rival teams, leaving a mother at home completely perplexed as to whom she should cheer for.
Albie and Morne Morkel, the South African team’s renowned siblings until recently, are in this unusual circumstance. As the bowling coach, Morne is a vital member of India’s Gautam Gambhir-led support staff, while Albie serves as South Africa’s “specialist consultant” for this competition.
“No, we don’t talk to each other. I think my mother, she’s more worried than us. She doesn’t know who to support, India or South Africa,” Albie had joked recently.
Following an undefeated run in the group stage, the two teams will face off in their first game of the World Cup’s Super Eight stage. Additionally, Morne admitted that he hasn’t spoken to his older brother very often.
“I saw him arrive at the ground. But we haven’t been talking a lot. Good to see him though,” PTI quoted him as saying when he was questioned about Albie in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Albie and Morne have given the old proverb that a brother is “your first friend, first teammate, and also the first rival” a whole new meaning.
Morne’s cricketing background was more extensive, and he produced a strong body of work in a variety of formats, including 86 Test matches in which he claimed 309 wickets. With 108 games played in both T20Is and ODIs, Albie was more of a white-ball regular for the Proteas.
One of the less well-known things about Albie is that, in his early years with the Chennai Super Kings, he was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s “Man Friday,” particularly in the first five seasons when his death bowling and lower-order hitting were useful.
Albie was unable to provide a clear response when asked what his position as a specialist consultant meant for the squad.
“…it’s been an interesting term, a specialist consultant. I had to figure it out myself a little bit. I guess it’s anything it takes to help the team do well in the World Cup. So do a bit of both, batting, and fielding, mostly focus around the bowling for now,” he quipped.
When asked to define his position ahead of UAE match, he had said, “And yeah, do some work with the lower order batters, swing work, and stuff like that.”
Albie claimed that he has picked up some excellent coaching techniques from Stephen Fleming after closely observing the Kiwi at the Chennai Super Kings.
“Stephen has been a big influence on me. I think he’s one of the only coaches, or maybe the only coach in the world who’s been at a franchise (CSK) for 17 years. That’s unheard of.
“So, it must mean he does something right. And I certainly learn a lot from him, yes,” said Albie, who has worked with him at Johannesburg Super Kings in SA20.
Albie and Morne will forget their brotherhood for three and a half hours on Sunday.
