South Africa allrounder Albie Morkel retires from all forms of cricket
Albie Morkel has claimed 50 wickets in 58 ODIs at an economy rate of 5.49, made a name for himself in the T20 format in which he was scored 4247 runs and picked 247 wickets. @ Getty Images[/caption] South Africa allrounder Albie Morkel has announced his retirement from all forms of the game on Wednesday. Morkel, who made his ODI debut in 2004 against New Zealand after pocketing 12 wickets in List A games in the 2003-04 season, has played professional cricket for almost 20 years. The 37-year-old elder of the Morkel brothers, Morne Morkel being the younger one, who has claimed 50 wickets in 58 ODIs at an economy rate of 5.49, made a name for himself in the T20 format in which he was scored 4247 runs and picked 247 wickets. "Time has run out for me on the cricket field, and I would like to announce my retirement from the game." Morkel was quoted in a press release on Wednesday. https://twitter.com/albiemorkel/status/1082979655907459072 "The last 20 years of my life took me on an incredible journey, with so many awesome memories that I will cherish forever. I would like to thank Jacques Faul and everyone involved at the Titans for giving me the opportunity to live my dream," he said. "The squad is in a healthy state and I'm looking forward to seeing the progress that the younger players will make. I will forever be a big Titans fan." https://twitter.com/mornemorkel65/status/1082991503964807169 "I want to say a big thanks to Cricket South Africa, because it was a huge honour to represent my country. Thank you to my family, friends, supporters and sponsors who were there for me through thick and thin, and most importantly my wife who played an unbelievable supporting role, allowing me to do what I love. Professional sport can be a ruthless space to operate in, and it's impossible to do it without a solid support system. Thank you so much." https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/1083020786917625856 Morkel was played a key role in Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He took 85 scalps and scored 974 runs. In the 2011 edition, which CSK won, Morkel bagged 15 wickets. He also led the Titans to a hat-trick of T20 titles between 2015-16 to 2017-18. https://twitter.com/faf1307/status/1082990942540451840 Titans' chief executive Dr Jacques Faul has plans to organise a grand farewell for Albie’s last match. "He deserves a send-off, and also a chance for the Titans fans to say a fond farewell. It wasn't just for Titans that he was a massive player, because he also served the Proteas with distinction," he said.