Though he does not open the bowling for his country, Morkel has been comfortable with opening the bowling under skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings.Dhoni is a captain who has an eye for detail and he has been astute in entrusting the all-rounder to open the attack.
JA Morkel, who is into his fourth season with CSK, has been one of the leading wicket tackers in the IPL with 53 wickets to his name. The 29-year-old is deceptively quick and he can be a handful when there is swing on offer for the bowlers.
One would only need to go back to his heroics in the Final of IPL edition 3 to understand the value he brings to the team through his bowling. Kieron Pollard was blazing on all cylinders when Albie Morkel took his wicket through a combination of smart bowling and exceptional field placements by Dhoni. That wicket ensured Chennai's first ever IPL trophy and the men in yellow would further go on to establish themselves as winners of the Champions League as well.
The South African's bowling has been integral to CSK but it should not be forgotten that his presence down the batting order provides the X-factor required for success in the T-20 format. The left handed batsman can make the crowd go ballistic with his huge hits and if he is in the mood, it is difficult to find a cricketer who can strike the ball better than him which is reflected by his impressive strike rate.
It is no surprise that he has regularly featured in the list of longest sixes hit in the IPL and added to that, he does not lose his cool under pressure. Temperament is crucial in all forms of the game, more so in the shortest format, and the captain's calmness seems to have rubbed off on his team-mates.
Despite Morkel's devastating ability to wreck bowling attacks, the management should have a re-think of which overs he should be batting. He is a batsman who likes to have a few balls on the middle of the bat before going berserk.
He has come in around the 18th over and has had no time to settle into his batting rhythm. Dhoni and Fleming should think of a strategy which would utilize Morkel's batting prowess to the maximum. The best option is to promote the left-hander up the order when CSK are off to a good start by the top order.
The decision to retain his services for this IPL shows the belief that the CSK management and captain have in the quality of the all-rounder. Though Albie Morkel was not selected for the World Cup, he has bounced back from the disappointment by playing at his devastating best for the Titans and CSK. He is arguably the "Lance Klusener" of the modern era and his performances could have a major impact on whether or not the Super Kings retain the prestigious IPL trophy.
