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Morne Morkel, the pacer who defined perseverance, brought an end to his international career with the culmination of the controversial South Africa-Australia Test series. The lanky bowler who hit the deck hard, often disconcerting the batsmen with the extra lift he used to get off the surface, called time on his career with South Africa, and will now become a Kolpak player, representing Surrey in the summer.
Speaking in the post-match ceremony, the towering bowler said: The injury wasn't nice. I told the doctor to do whatever he can to do to get me back on the field. But Vern was outstanding today, the way he came out and landed the ball was just superb. Thank you so much, the last couple of weeks have been exceptional. I have had twelve years of support and tears. I can only be the man I am because of this fantastic culture and environment. A huge thank you to all the sponsors and to Supersport for all that they've done for me".
In a career that started with the Boxing Day Test against India in 2006, the 33-year-old played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is, picking up 309, 188 and 47 wickets respectively. Last month, he became just the fifth South African bowler to take 300 Test wickets.
Morkel played for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Twitter was filled with tributes for the South African, including prominent names from the cricketing fraternity. The heartwarming messages were led by his brother Albie Morkel, who congratulated his younger brother for his "success story".
Here are some of the messages:
Albie Morkel
Brendan Taylor
Suresh Raina
Irfan Pathan
Aaron Finch
Rohit Sharma
Darren Lehmann
VVS Laxman
Dale Steyn
Brendon McCullum
Hashim Amla
Jacques Rudolph
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