Morne Morkel steps down as Pakistan's bowling coach: Details here
In another blow for the Pakistan cricket team, Morne Morkel has resigned as their bowling coach. The former South African pacer stepped down from the role after Pakistan's league-stage exit from the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. Pakistan missed the semis berth, losing their final encounter to England. Morkel came on board in June this year with a six-month contract.
Here's the official statement
"Morne Morkel has resigned as the bowling coach of the Pakistan Men's team. The former South Africa fast bowler joined the Pakistan team on a six-month contract in June this year," a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board read. It added, "Morkel's first assignment with the men's team was their tour to Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series."
What about the replacement?
Morkel's replacement as the new bowling coach will be "announced in due course". Notably, Pakistan are scheduled to feature in a three-match Test series against Australia from December 14 to January 7 Down Under.
WC 2023: Pakistan fail to reach semis
Morkel's decision to resign came after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals. The Men in Green started with two consecutive wins, but four defeats thereafter derailed their campaign. Babar Azam and his men were then dependent upon other results in order to go through. However, New Zealand finished fourth with an extra win and a better Net Run Rate, thereby knocking out Pakistan.
Pakistan's woes continue!
Pakistan have not qualified for the ODI World Cup semi-finals since the 2011 edition where they lost to India in Mohali. This remains their only semis appearance in the tournament in the 21st century.
Pakistan's bowling took a hit
Pakistan, who boast a world-class pace attack, faltered in World Cup 2023. Although Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf bowled impactful spells, their bowling failed as a unit. Pakistan also missed Naseem Shah, who was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Hasan Ali replaced him but to no avail. Pakistan's spinners Usama Mir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Shadab Khan scalped only 12 wickets combined.
A look at Morkel's coaching stints
Morkel formally joined Pakistan as their bowling coach after completing his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitment at Lucknow Super Giants. Morkel, who replaced Shaun Tait in the Pakistan camp, had worked with the Namibia coaching staff during the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. The former SA bowler also worked with the New Zealand women's team during the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa.
