Catch up with the South African allrounder as he gives us a peek into his IPL exoperiences

Friday, May 23, 2008

The IPL is bigger than World Twenty20: Albie Morkel

After his performances at the Twenty20 World tournament, Albie Morkel was soon marked as the new Lance Klusener. The South African allrounder is a part of the formidable Chennai Super Kings team at the IPL. Join us as we catch up with the rising Proteas star as he speaks about sibling rivalry, gelling with his team mates and a lot more…

How has the entire tournament been so far?
When I first came here I did not know what to expect. What has happened so far is bigger than I thought. It has been a massive success. Even the intensity and the way the games have been played have been higher than the international matches.

Speaking of the Chennai Super Kings, with the likes of Stephen Fleming, Makhaya Ntini, Dhoni, Hayden, Hussey and you around, the younger Indian guys must be looking up to you for tips. How is the atmosphere in the dressing room, you guys look like one compact unit.
When Hayden and all these guys left it was a big blow to the side. They brought so much experience and I felt at ease from day one. As a team we are gelling very well. Even if you don’t win it doesn’t necessarily say what happens off the field. As a team we are doing well. 

The Chennai Super Kings got off to a great start with four wins in a row but there was a dip in form in the last few games. What was the reason for this and did the departure of Hayden, Hussey and Oram leave a big hole in the side?
I don’t think you can put it down to that as Twenty20 is so unpredictable. You may ‘win’ the first over but ‘lose’ the next four. We won the game against the Daredevils which could have gone either way. It is a fifty-fifty game as you win some and you lose some. You can’t win all fourteen games. There will be a couple that you lose in the middle…

Speaking of Twenty20, it is fast, compact and compressed into three hours. You enjoy it as a batsman because you are a big hitter but do you think that it will affect the fifty over format of the game or even Test cricket?
I have not played Test cricket so I don’t really know how it will impact the game. I don’t think it will because it is more traditional. It might affect the fifty over game in the next couple of years because you get almost the same stuff in a Twenty20 and it is shorter. T20 gets the people to the ground, they come along for the atmosphere as it just comes alive with Twenty20.

You are an all-rounder, in that role is it difficult for you to get both sides of your game going? You certainly seem to get both batting and bowling going for you. How do you manage to click in both areas at the same time?
It is quite difficult for a bowler especially in Twenty20. Also, in India the conditions are very good for batting. I don’t put pressure on myself to perform. I just back my abilities as a player. If you put too much pressure on yourself to perform, you will become your own enemy!

You come from a cricketing family. Your father has played cricket and your brother Morne is playing cricket. You have a cricketing tradition going on; was there any competition between you and Morne as school boys or when you played junior cricket?
There is never competition when you play in school, it is usually just for fun. So, we never competed as school kids. But when I and Morne started playing professional cricket the comparisons started. Both of us don’t give too much attention to that, though. We are close as brothers having stayed together for a couple of years. But if people compare that also puts pressure on us.

You have achieved a lot in the T20 World Cup. What are the comparisons that you can make between the T20 World Cup and the IPL?
The Twenty20 World Cup was a first for me. I performed on a big arena and I really enjoyed that. I realized then I can perform against world class players. I feel the IPL is much bigger than the World Twenty20; the pressure, the crowds, the media is two times bigger than the T20 World Cup.

And finally, the IPL a being looked at as a platform for Indian youngsters to showcase their talents and make a name for themselves. Do you also think that it will be a good stage for young non-Indian guys like yourself to get noticed by the selectors and make a place for yourselves in your respective national sides?
Yeah, I think that the IPL is a great breeding ground for future national players. What you experience here you will experience in any International game. So, it is especially good for the young Indian players to do well and make a mark. For the international players too, it is a good opportunity to make a name as this tournament as it is televised all over the World. If we do well here it could be very good for them.