Morne Morkel, the erstwhile Proteas pace ace, has signed with the Brisbane Heat of the Big Bash League as a non-overseas player after successfully qualifying as a permanent Australian resident.

After deciding to round off his international career in 2018 following series victories against India and Australia, Morkel took up a Kolpak deal with Surrey for the next three county seasons. However, soon after the conclusion of this year’s season, he announced his departure from county cricket to spend more time with his wife and children, who are based in Australia.

At 36, Morkel is still very much enjoying his cricket and he brings to the table a wealth of experience across various conditions. With 309 Test wickets, 188 ODI wickets, 47 T20I wickets, and a slew of ICC events under his belt, here comes another opportunity to impress.

He previously played one game for the Perth Scorchers late in the previous season. In addition, he took part in the Mzansi Super League last year, finishing fourth on the wickets chart with 12 wickets and a commendable economy rate of 6.35.

He’s on the road to recovery from an ankle injury, but he will meet his Heat teammates at the end of this month. The Heat’s first game will be on December 11, against the Melbourne Stars. Morkel is the second South African to ink a deal for the upcoming BBL – the first being the veteran legspinner, Imran Tahir, who is set to play for the Melbourne Renegades.

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