First Quinton de Kock being unavailable for the West Indies clash and now Chris Morris’s statement says, ‘my playing days for South Africa are done,’ surely there is something happening behind the closed door of the Proteas camp.
The all-rounder, who was the highest-paid cricketer during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 mini-auction and being purchased by Rajasthan Royals (RR), has said that he is unlikely to play again for the national team in the future. This statement comes after he was ignored for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
He revealed that Cricket South Africa (CSA) is also aware of his intention of no longer playing for the Proteas. “My playing days for South Africa are done. I am not one for announcing things and officially retiring and all of that. They know where I stand, I know where I stand, but my days are done for CSA, I think they know that,” Chirs Morris told Sportskeeda.
The 34-year-old also stated that he is unlikely to announce an official retirement, but is done with international cricket. He added that his focus will now be on domestic cricket and T20 leagues.
“There hasn’t been an official retirement because that’s not how I am, but like I said, my international cricket days are done. I am focusing on domestic cricket and giving back to the team as much as I can. I was fortunate to represent South Africa in all 3 formats, I had an opportunity to represent my country. If you had asked me the same question a few months ago, I would have given you a longer answer but right now I am content with my life and my career,” the all-rounder was quoted as saying.
While surely there is some unrest between players and CSA, Morris said it had been more than a year since his last conversation with the board.
“I had my discussions with whoever I needed to quite a while ago, I haven’t spoken to CSA since then. At the end of the day, how they treated Faf (du Plessis), Immi (Imran Tahir) or me is something they’ve to deal with, there is no way I can comment. I wasn’t a part of the negotiations, I haven’t been spoken to for a year, maybe longer than a year. So can’t really comment on what’s happening, a few stories are coming out, I know which one I can believe. It’s a touchy subject, there are so many different angles to it,” Morris said.
As far as his career is concerned, Morris, who had made his debut in 2012, has played 42 ODIs, 23 T20Is, and 4 Tests for South Africa. He last played in international cricket in the 2019 World Cup where South Africa were knocked out at the league stage.
