SASoccermag editor Wade Pretorius challenges Proteas cricket star Chris Morris to put his Premier League knowledge to the test.
UPDATE: Morris managed to accumulate three points in round one, which was not enough to beat our editor and part-time Superbru guru, Wade Pretorius, who mustered 9 points and two exact scores. Neither predicted the game of the week result which saw Arsenal lose at home to Liverpool.
Morris made his debut for the Proteas in the T20 series against New Zealand in 2012 where he took 2 wickets for 19 runs, helping his side to a dominant eight-wicket win. The all-rounder’s form was then rewarded in 2013 when he made his bow in the ODI squad.
In January this year, Morris made his debut for the South African Test side against England in January, taking four wickets and scoring 98 runs in 2 matches. He had an excellent debut in Cape Town, taking one wicket and scoring 69 runs in the draw against England while also impressing with his slip fielding.
The South African’s IPL success for the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals saw him auctioned to the Delhi Daredevils for over US$1-million at the 2016 auction.
The explosive all-rounder, who scored 82 off just 32 balls for the Daredevils against the Gujurat Lions in April, is expected to play a huge part in the upcoming ODI Series against Australia starting 30 September.
Morris is also a passionate Manchester United fan, something he tells SASoccermag that he picked up from his father. ‘I like to think I inherited my love for United from my Dad who’s been supporting them since he was 17!’ says Morris.
‘I’ve been supporting United since I knew what football was. My personal favourites at the club over the years has been Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona and Paul Scholes.’
Morris has taken his admiration for the Red Devils midfielder to the next level by naming his puppy after the legendary midfielder.
‘When getting a new beagle puppy with a lot of brown/orange hair and looked grumpy in pictures it was a no-brainer to call him “Scholesy”!’
Turning to week one, Morris tips a five-goal thriller between Bournemouth and his club while all eyes will be on the marquee match of the weekend as Arsenal host Liverpool.
‘I’ll be watching Arsenal against Liverpool to see how much of an impact Jurgen Klopp has made after his first season at Anfield. You can see the improvement in playing patterns and work rate since he took over and this match is going to be a fascinating contest to watch.
‘Arsene Wenger has solid game plans against most opposition but with Klopp being very confident in pushing for the title (excuse me while I giggle a bit) I think Arsenal would be looking to lay down an early marker by beating Liverpool in front of the Emirates fans.’
Premier League Week 1:
Hull City 0-2 Leicester City (Wade’s pick: 0-1)
Burnley 1-1 Swansea (Wade’s pick: 2-1)
Crystal Palace 1-0 West Brom (Wade’s pick: 2-1)
Everton 1-3 Spurs (Wade’s pick: 1-1)
Middlesborough 1-2 Stoke (Wade’s pick: 1-1)
Southampton 3-0 Watford (Wade’s pick: 2-0)
Manchester City 4-0 Sunderland (Wade’s pick: 3-0)
Bournemouth 2-3 Manchester United (Wade’s pick: 1-2)
Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool (Wade’s pick: 2-2)
Chelsea 3-1 West Ham (Wade’s pick: 2-0)
Scoring:
1 point for a correct result
3 points for an exact pick
3 points for six or more correct results in a game week
*Follow Chris Morris on Twitter: @tipo_morris
