File photo of Faf du Plessis© AFP
Former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel wants selectors to include veteran batter Faf du Plessis in the Proteas squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. du Plessis, who currently does not have a South Africa central contract, recently led Royal Challengers Bangalore to the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 468 runs during the tournament. The 37-year-old was also ignored by the selectors for last year’s T20 World Cup in UAE, and faces a similar situation ahead of the showpiece event in Australia later this year.
“You want all your big-name players to play and Faf is still playing well at the age of 37. He is still playing well, moving well in the field and he has done exceptionally well for RCB (in the IPL). I would like to see those experienced players in the side. That is up to them (Cricket South Africa) to work out, but I am definitely a big fan of it,” Morkel told ICC.
Morkel, however, was still confident that South Africa will be competitive at the T20 World Cup, regardless of whether du Plessis finds a place in the team or not.
While suggesting that the Proteas have a world class bowling line-up, Morkel also thinks that the batters too can make a difference.
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“I honestly believe they have an attack that is going to suit these conditions well. Kagiso Rabada is a world class performer, Anrich Nortje did very well at the IPL and Shamsi is a quality spinner. I do believe that it is a well-balanced squad and in T20 cricket these days the teams are so close,” he said.
“From a batting perspective, you can’t not mention Quinton De Kock as he has been in some fantastic form. Aiden Markram is another quality player, while Bevuma finds the way to score runs and rotate the strike although he is not is not your conventional T20 player. On these big fields (in Australia) where you can hit pockets and run well, he is going to be a big player,” Morkel added.
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