Pakan bowlers thought Morne Morkel was nothing, says Basit Ali | Cricket News
Former Pakan cricketer Basit Ali has stated that the current crop of national team pacers didn’t value Morne Morkel during his short stint as the Pakan bowling coach.
“The Pakani bowlers consider themselves to be bigger than cricket. They thought that Morkel was nothing in front of us,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
“We got to know the difference. This is the same Bangladesh played against Pakan, where it seemed as if Pakan were completely on the back foot. This is the same Bangladesh that whitewashed Pakan. The difference is of mindset, thinking and class,” he added.
Morkel, who was recently named as the Indian bowling coach under, was with the Pakan team during the 2023 ODI World Cup which turned out to be an underwhelming campaign for the 1992 winners.
The former Proteas pacer had joined the Pakan setup on a six-month contract in June 2023. (Reuters)
Morkel is currently part of the Indian coaching staff under head coach Gautam Gambhir, having previously worked with him at the Lucknow Super Giants franchise.
High praise for Indian pace
Basit also believes the current Indian pace battery with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Sirai is on par with the former Pakan pace attack that comprised of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.
“The Indian bowling unit is so impactful that they are on the level with pacers Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, and Waqar Younis. Right now, Mohammed Shami is not playing,” he said on his YouTube channel.
While Shami is currently under rehab from a left ankle injury, Bumrah and Siraj were part of the Test team that regered a comprehensive 280-run win against Bangladesh in the first Test.
