Lanky South African pacer Morne Morkel has made himself unavailable for this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), in order to be at full fitness for South Africa’s tour of England later this year.
Morkel, who was injured during the ODI tri-series held in West Indies in June 2016, has said that he was told he would never be able to play cricket again.
“No one was 100 percent sure of what was going on with my back and to be honest there was a time when I was in doubt about my future‚” ESPNcricinfo quoted Morkel as saying.
“I was told that I would never be able to play cricket again and it was a mental thing to go to the gym,” he added.
The right-arm fast bowler hasn’t given his name in the 2017 IPL auctions. His former team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, coached by his erstwhile teammate Jacques Kallis, released him from their squad after the end of last season.
