Albie Morkel reminisces an incident when he found himself behind the bars

Albie Morkel’s ferocity as the all-rounder can be comprehended from the numbers he has churned in T20 tournaments across the globe. In 307 T20 matches, he has notched 4058 runs and picked up 245 wickets. Unfortunately, his international career for South Africa never quite took off and he last played for them in 2015 after making his debut in 2004 against New Zealand.

In the meantime, the Transvaal-born cricketer narrated a horrific incident when he was jailed after being charged with smuggling weapons in Mozambique. The 37-year-old featured in a show named The Dan Nicholl Show on SuperSport this week and talked about his time in the African country where he spent a couple of nights behind the bars of a local prison in Tete.

He was alleged for possessing leftover ammunition from a tiger fishing exhibition. “They pulled AK-47s on us and it turned into a very ugly story. Thrown in the back of a car, the next time I got out and the gates opened to Tete provincial prison. I have never been to jail in South Africa or even close to it but I don’t think what happens in there… humans shouldn’t be treated like that,” Morkel mentioned.

Morkel’s stop-start career

Morkel forayed into international cricket in an ODI against the Black Caps. A year later, he played his maiden T20I against the same opposition at the iconic Wanderers in Johannesburg. Morkel played only Tests against Australia at Newlands in Cape Town. His last appearance in national colours was in a T20I against India at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

All in all, Morkel has plied his trade in one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is in which he has racked up 58, 782 and 572 runs respectively. Moreover, he also has 77 wickets for the Proteas to his name. The veteran has also played 91 matches for Chennai Super Kings in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

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