Joburg Super Kings made a bold decision by releasing their long-time captain Faf du Plessis as all the teams confirmed their retained squads and pre-auction signings earlier in August. The decision followed soon after the Super Kings parted ways with Stephen Fleming across the sister franchises, including in the IPL.ย
Following Fleming’s departure, former South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel took over as the head coach of the Joburg franchise, which came a little before the pre-auction signings were confirmed. Meanwhile, ex-Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris spoke on the du Plessis release, opining that Morkel must have had a plan in his mind when he made the decision of dropping the ex-Proteas skipper.
‘Morkel got some trick, he knows local talent very well’: Morris
In response to a question from India TV, Morris opined on what would have been the possible reason behind removing du Plessis from the franchise. “Albie Morkel has got a trick up his sleeve. He is well connected with domestic cricket,” South African legend Chris Morris, in an interaction facilitated by SA20 ahead of the Season 5 Auction, said in our query.
“He has worked with the Titans as assistant coach; he knows local players very, very well. He is very shrewd around the squad that he wants to pick. He has obviously let go of the older players, looking to build for the future,” he added.ย
The decision left Joburg without a captain, but Morris feels that they have already got one candidate in Donovan Ferreira. “I think Don Ferreira will be taking up as captain. That will be good for Don’s game because responsibility on top of you makes you think on your game,” he said on Ferreira.
‘Auction going to be exciting for JSK’: Morris
The former all-rounder expected the auction to be an ‘exciting one’ for JSK as they have work to do before the next season kicks in January next year. “Albie’s always got a plan. He has got that cheeky pick that nobody picks and all of a sudden he gets a youngster. He was very good at that when he was captaining the Titans.ย
“I think the auction is going to be exciting for JSK because they have got quite a few slots to fill, but they have got a good core of young players that will potentially be leading in the next couple of seasons, obviously. Success won’t be immediate. But once Albie gets the squad together, that’s going to be an interesting one,” he added.
Also read:
Co-owners Jonty Rhodes, John Abraham unveil Rotterdam Dockers jersey ahead of maiden ETPL