ICC World Cup 2023: Morkel addresses Pakistan’s bowling weaknesses

• Morkel stresses consistency and pressure for Pakistan’s bowlers.
• Naseem Shah’s absence is a loss; Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf adapting.
• Shaheen Afridi’s improved performance is positive for the next match.

Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel has addressed the weak points in the bowling of the Green Shirts after their bowlers failed to give their side a breakthrough in the last two matches of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India.

Morkel, who represented South Africa in 247 international matches, believes that the Pakistani bowlers are not consistent with the ball and are failing to create pressure on the opponents.

“The last couple of games, that is one of our talking points, to string partnerships together. I think in India that is the key, create pressure from both ends, keep the stumps in play, and at the moment, we’re not doing that,” Morkel said.

“We are not consistent with the ball. If you are going to lift that trophy on the 19th then we need to create consistency from both the ends.”

Morkel also spoke about the absence of speedster Naseem Shah, who is out of the tournament with a shoulder injury.

“Naseem is a quality bowler if you look at his stats, the consistency he gave us with the new ball upfront was amazing. The partnership he formed with Shaheen was… this we always talked about bowling partnerships. Naseem is a big loss,” he said.

Morkel then opened up on the new role that Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf have to play, bowling with the new ball in the powerplay.

“It’s slightly new role for Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf bowling with the new ball in powerplays. These guys used to bowl sort of outside the powerplay. But I think, with the opportunity we’ve given them they are standing up to the occasion.

“It is quite tough with a new ball in India. The margins are small. So, they are learning and trying their heart out.

“He [Rauf] is still one of the go-to guys, one of the X-factors. He can look at gaming awareness and may be mixing your pace a little bit more. But he’s a guy who always gives 100%. I can’t fault him for anything,” he added.

Morkel also showed relief at Shaheen Afridi’s spell against Australia, saying that it was a “pleasing thing” for him.

“We had honest conversations. We sort of unpacked the opening spells of the World Cup so far, and looked at areas where we can look to attack and be smart. Perhaps, he was trying too hard. Tonight, he ran in and hit those hard lines, changed his game strategy and mixed his pace up.

“He put up a performance like that on a tough bowling day against a team that is very aggressive, and it is a pleasing thing for me,” said Morkel.

Pakistan will be looking to improve their bowling performance in their next match against New Zealand on October 26.

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