Morne Morkel says ‘With their skills, my life is a lot easier’

• Morne Morkel, the bowling coach of the Pakistan cricket team, praised the Pakistani fast bowlers for their exceptional skills.
• Morkel said that the Pakistani bowlers have made his coaching role much easier.
• The Pakistani bowlers are focused on performing well against top-quality teams and their primary objective is to do well in the ICC World Cup 2023.

Morne Morkel, the bowling coach of the Pakistan cricket team, had high praise for the Pakistani fast bowlers, stating that their exceptional skills have made his coaching role much easier.

He shared these thoughts in a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), where he was joined by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. In the video, Morkel emphasized the importance of performing well against top-quality teams and highlighted the team’s primary objective: the ICC World Cup 2023, set to take place in India later in the year.

Morkel expressed his pleasure in working with the Pakistani bowlers, emphasizing the need to focus on fundamental skills and hard work. He also mentioned that they are enjoying their work together, which contributes to their successful execution on the field. The coaching staff had set specific goals before the Asia Cup, with the World Cup being their primary target. They aim to arrive in India for the tournament with the team in excellent form and to make a strong impression against formidable opponents.

The former South African cricketer also commended individual performances within the Pakistani bowling unit. He highlighted Shaheen Afridi’s outstanding spell against India during the Asia Cup group-stage match and emphasized Naseem Shah’s vital supporting role. Morkel’s role as a coach is made easier by the remarkable skills and dedication of these bowlers.

It’s important to note that Pakistan was scheduled to face India in the Super Four encounter of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 at Colombo’s R.Premadasa Stadium. However, rain interrupted the match, and at the time of the stoppage, India had scored 147-2 in 24.1 overs.

Here are the lineups for the teams:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

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