“I’m not confident I’ll be ready for the next game”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

South Africa pace bowler Morne Morkel is unlikely to feature in the fourth ODI against India in Chennai on Thursday as he is currently nursing a leg injury.

Morkel hurt his leg while bowling in the third ODI in Rajkot on Sunday, but managed to win the Man of the Match award as he led the Proteas to an 18-run win with his four wickets.

“I’m a little bit concerned about it, but I think we’ve got a quality medical team that will help me,” he told reporters. “I pulled up in the fourth ball of my sixth over a little bit. But let’s see. I’m not confident I’ll be ready for the next game. It’s just a matter now of the next 24 hours.”

Morkel’s efforts despite his injury not only saw South Africa take a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series, but also earned him high praise from captain AB de Villiers.

“Yeah, Morne came to me after he bowled six overs and he told me that he’s got a little bit of a sore leg,” de Villiers said. “I might have to think to get his overs out of the way. And he bowled so well in that return spell that I had to keep him for one at the end there, so he showed a lot of guts and determination to get through that spell.

“It would have been a very easy decision for him to just go off and call it a day, but he pulled through for the boys and he bowled exceptionally well with a sore leg in the last 4 overs. He turned the game on its head, with a few other contributions, obviously. But he deserves all that is coming his way.”