Former South African champion Morne Morkel will make a late-season BBL cameo after signing with Perth.
The towering fast bowler will line-up in the Scorchers’ last regular season fixture against the Sydney Thunder on January 26, replacing Englishman Chris Jordan.
Morkel could feature in up to five games if Perth finishes in fourth or fifth on the ladder and they manage to win their way through to the BBL final.
It’s a massive boost for the franchise, who sit in fourth on the ladder with a 5-5 record before Saturday’s game against ladder-leaders the Melbourne Stars.
Morkel captured 309 wickets during his 86-Test career with the Proteas, retiring after South Africa’s 3-1 series win against Australia in 2018.
But he’s continued playing Twenty20 cricket, last featuring for the Spartans in the South Africa’s Mzansi Super League in December.
“Once we knew CJ (Jordan) had been picked in the England side we knew that we would need a replacement … and Morne was always at the top of the list,” Scorchers coach Adam Voges said.
“Luckily I’ve played a bit with Morne over the years so we’ve got a good relationship and he was super excited to get involved in the Big Bash.
“We’re going to get Morne to Perth next week and he’ll be around the group for a week or so before he plays.”
After Morkel’s retirement from international cricket, he move to Sydney with his wife, sports journalist Roz Kelly.
He’s spoken about gaining permanent residency in Australia, which could make him available as a local BBL player.
-AAP
The post BBL: South African Morkel boosts Scorchers’ finals hopes appeared first on The New Daily.
**Business and Marketing support on best price; Hit the link now----> http://bit.ly/2HsQmSi