Morne Morkel emulates Johan Botha, to play for Brisbane Heat in BBL 2020 as an Australian

Former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel has confirmed that he will be back on the field as early as December this year. Morkel, who retired from all forms of international cricket in 2018, has announced that he will be playing with the Brisbane Heat in the upcoming Big Bash League 2020 that will begin on December 10. Morkel's three-year-long run in the English county cricket side, Surrey recently came to an end with the speedster saying he was reluctant to spend this much time away from his family.

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Morne Morkel Australian citizen news paves way for Big Bash League 2020 deal

While there is nothing surprising about a recently retired cricketer taking up a stint with a T20 league team, the conditions surrounding Morne Morkel's inclusion in the Brisbane Heat side for the Big Bash League are intriguing. With the Australian Cricket Board recently changing their policy on the number of international players being allowed to play for a team - increasing it from two to three - many teams have scrambled to add big international names to their sides. However, Morne Morkel, an ex-South African national, has said that he will be signing on with the Heat side as a domestic player.

Morkel, who is married to an Australian journalist Roz Kelly, has officially received Permanent Resident status in Australia and will now be available to the Brisbane Heat as a local player. While Morkel has not revealed his reasons for doing this, it is probably so that he can spend time with his wife and their two sons. He will be the second South African, after Johan Botha to play for an Australian domestic league as a local. Botha had previously played for Adelaide Strikers, being based in South Australia.

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Morne Morkel Net Worth

According to networthlist.org, Morne Morkel's net worth is $5.6 million. This figure includes estimations of his salary as a South African national team member, and his earnings from his stint at English county cricket, the Dream11 IPL and other T20 leagues around the world. At the time of retirement, Morkel's monthly salary from South Africa cricket board was around $5000 USD. Morne Morkel was a part of the Rajasthan Dream11 IPL side from 2009 to 2012. He was bought for an estimated ₹24 lakh in 2009, which was increased to ₹29 lakh in 2010. 

Morkel's next stint was with the Delhi side from 2011-2013. He was brought for ₹2.18 crore and proved his worth by taking 25 wickets in the 16 matches he played, ending the season as the bowler with the highest wickets. His last run at th Dream11 IPL was with the Kolkata side from 2014-2016. Morkel was brought by the side for ₹2.8 crore and retained at that price throughout. In all, his cumulative earning from the cash-rich league is at ₹16,31,65,700. 

Disclaimer: The above Morne Morkel net worth figure is sourced from various websites and media reports. This website does not guarantee 100% accuracy of the Morne Morkel net worth figure. 

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Image Credits: AP