Time running out for Chris Morris’ Proteas career?
Coach Ottis Gibson reveals the wholehearted but inconsistent all-rounder needs to become a stable performer to have an international future.
At a crossroads: Chris Morris. (Photo by Luke Walker/Gallo Images)
A few weeks after the Proteas completed their first series under Ottis Gibson, an injured Chris Morris had revealed that the West Indian had spoken to him at length.
They talked about his action – specifically how he needed to straighten his ankle – his return to fitness and, undoubtedly, his ability to change the course of matches in an instant.
The point is that Gibson rates Morris highly.
A few months later, the Proteas head coach still regards the bowling all-rounder as an exciting player.
But he’s lost patience with him.
Following the white-ball series losses to India, it’s become clear that Morris is still far too inconsistent to be a viable player at international level.
As a result, he’s been dropped from the Test squad for the battle against Australia.
Morris has lacked control with his bowling and, despite starting promisingly with the bat in the ODI series, progressively became more ragged.
“Chris has got a lot of work to do,” said Gibson.
That’s no understatement.
Morris’ biggest challenge is time.
The general perception about him is that he’s still young in cricketing terms, predominantly because he’s such an enthusiastic, wholehearted player.
Yet he’s actually not.
Morris is turning 31 this year and that’s a bit of a watershed age for a fast bowler, especially given his injury record.
For now, Gibson is willing to stay patient.
“I would imagine, Chris would go back to play some domestic cricket. IPL, whenever it starts, I am not sure when it starts,” he said.
“But before that he has got some domestic cricket to go and get some consistency in his bowling, especially. He is a match-winner. He is short of that.”
Gibson and Morris have already had this conversation too.
“We had a conversation, myself and him. I am not telling you anything that I haven’t told him. So he just needs to find what type of bowler he wants to become and put practice in that and work in to become that person. Because he is a match-winner,” said the Proteas mentor.
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