“Morne is in the final phase of rehab…there are two more weeks to go”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

South Africa pace bowler Morne Morkel is on the verge of making a full recovery from a back injury, according to Proteas media manager Lerato Malekutu.

Morkel has only played four matches since last July, with one being a Sunfoil Series match for the Titans and the other three being warm-up games during South Africa’s recent tour of Australia.

While there has been speculation that the 32-year-old’s international career could be coming to an end, Malekutu made it clear that this is not the case as the lanky seamer is only two weeks away from completing his rehabiliation programme.

“Morne is in the final phase of rehab…there are two more weeks to go,” Malekutu told Sport24 on Tuesday. “The plan is for him to be available for some Momentum One-Day Cup matches for the Titans, which will effectively serve as a fitness test for the New Zealand tour – the Test series portion by then, obviously.”

South Africa begin their tour of New Zealand with a one-off Twenty20 International on February 17 before playing a five-match ODI series, which begins two days later.

While Morkel is unlikely to be considered for selection for the limited overs portion of the tour, there is a chance that he could be included in the Test squad for the three-Test series as it gets underway on March 8 in Dunedin.