Waugh: Morne’s retirement is good news for batsmen

Morne Morkel has received praise from Australian great Steve Waugh after the South African seamer announced he would be leaving international cricket after the series against Australia.

Morkel told journalists on Monday that while there was still a lot of cricket left in him, he felt it was the right time to leave the Proteas.

That has since led to speculation that Morkel will sign a Kolpak deal in the coming weeks with Kent and Warwickshire having reportedly made their interest known.

Waugh, who played 168 Tests for his country, said Morkel was one of the most underrated bowlers in world cricket.

‘That’s good news for a lot of batsmen around the world,’ Waugh said, as quoted by Sport24.

‘He’s been terrorising batsmen for a long time,’ said the Australian great.

‘The thing I like about Morne is that he’s a fantastic bowler who is very respectful of the game. He’s a very humble person.

‘I didn’t play against him, but I just like the way he plays the game. He just tears in every ball and gives it everything. He’s one of the most underrated players in the world.’

Waugh added that Morkel’s retirement would give the South Africans a little more motivation in their series against Australia, which begins in Durban on Thursday.

‘South Africa will play with more emotion, I think, and they’ll want to win for him,’ said Waugh.

‘He’s been such a good team man. I’m sure our batsmen wish he could have retired one series earlier.’

The 33-year-old Morkel is just six wickets away from becoming only the fifth South African to reach the 300-wicket mark.