Morne Morkel resigns as Pakistan bowling coach following World Cup exit 

Former South African pacer Morne Morkel has left his role as Pakistan's bowling coach after only six months. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will name a replacement in due course, with the Men in Green scheduled to tour Australia in December-January for a three-match Test series.

Morkel replaced Shaun Tait as Pakistan's bowling coach after the South African's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 stint in the same capacity with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He was part of the revamped coaching staff panel that included fellow countryman Andrew Puttick as well as Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn.

The former Proteas bowler, who was on a six-month contract with the PCB, has amassed significant coaching experience since his role with the Namibia national side. He has also been associated with the Durban Super Giants in the SA20 League as well as the New Zealand women's team.

Pakistan Cricket released a statement on its website regarding Morne Morkel which read:

"Morne Morkel has resigned as the bowling coach of the Pakistan Men’s team. The former South Africa fast bowler joined the Pakistan team on a six-month contract in June this year. Morkel’s first assignment with the men’s team was their tour to Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series. Pakistan Cricket Board will announce his replacement in due course."

Under Morne Morkel, Pakistan's pace trio of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf flourished, but they could not execute the plans when it came to the World Cup.

The bowling attack was far from its best, with Naseem's absence due to injury playing a huge part as well. Rauf became the bowler to concede the most number of runs and sixes in a single World Cup edition, while Afridi was only good in patches.

Pakistan's pace-bowling depth also failed to impress, with Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jnr also struggling.

Morne Morkel and the rest of the coaching staff were under pressure after Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals

Pakistan had to settle for a fifth-placed finish in the World Cup points table for the second time in a row after winning only four matches in the league stages. The Men in Green lost four matches in a row midway through the campaign, which severely hampered their qualification ambitions.

Fans and pundits are far from pleased with Pakistan's set of performance in subcontinent conditions. Coaches Grant Bradburn and Mickey Arthur are under pressure with respect to their roles while Babar Azam's captaincy has also been under the scanner.