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Proteas champion scales new heights

Morne Morkel reflects on a special milestone as his former skipper says he'll leave a major hole on and off the field

In the lead-up to the third Test, Morne Morkel cut a lonely figure in the middle of Newlands.

As his teammates concluded their warm-ups and prepared to practice, Morkel was on the far side of the ground, bowling to two sets of plastic cones, a set of rubber stumps and a rectangular net acting as automatic wicketkeeper.

At that point, the towering quick was out of the Test team, three wickets shy of 300 and running out of matches before his international career came to a close.

Ball after ball, Morkel would turn anti-clockwise at the top of his mark, steam in and try to hit those cones and trouble an imaginary Australian batsman just in case he was needed for the third Test, which looked about as likely as climbing the distant Table Mountain blindfolded without spraining an ankle. Or injuring a toe.

As it so happened, rising star Lungi Ngidi had a toe complaint, probably due to the wears and tears of fast bowling and not a hazardous hike, but just like that, Morkel was back.

Day Wrap: Morkel fires with Test in the balance

His return was mooted on Test eve and confirmed at the toss on Thursday, but he had to wait until Friday before he could get a ball in his hand and begin the final climb to 300.

Wicket No.298 was Usman Khawaja out pulling, the Australia first-drop unable to control Morkel’s trademark steepling bounce to be caught at fine leg by spearhead Kagiso Rabada.

Wicket No.299 was a biggie – in fact they perhaps don’t get any bigger than the world’s premier Test batsman – Steve Smith was caught at gully poking at a rising delivery that, if he had his time again, would perhaps leave on length if nothing else.

Khawaja’s dismissal was important as it handed South Africa the momentum before lunch, while getting Smith – at any stage – is crucial, but the wicket of Shaun Marsh, No.300, could be match-defining.

Marsh and Western Australia teammate Cameron Bancroft looked in control having added 78 for the fourth wicket when Morkel tempted the left-hander with a wide half-volley, one he could neither ignore nor get to the pitch to, and edged behind.

It stopped a Australia’s innings in its tracks and sparked a collapse of 5-35. 

Elgar takes a share of Test cricket history

If he wasn’t touching 200cm in height he would have been lost amid the mosh pit his teammates created around him as the jubilant celebrations began and his home crowd bellowed with applause. 

The moment wasn’t completely lost on Morkel, who entered the series needing six wickets to join the 300 club, but after a poor showing in the first Test at Kingsmead that yielded three wickets, he was axed for Ngidi. 

That’s when he thought he might have played his last Test and fallen agonisingly short of that magic milestone.

“You think about those things, especially with Lungi and those guys bowling so well,” Morkel said. 

“But luckily for me I got an opportunity with Lungi picking up a small little niggle and I knew that this was my Test match to do it. 

“I put a lot of hard work in over the week, especially in PE. 

“I sat down for hours and analysed my Durban spells and things I needed to improve on. 

“I worked hard and glad I got the rewards today.”

Smith's safe hands equal a Test record

With the wicket of Marsh, Morkel became just the fifth South African to claim 300 Test wickets, behind greats Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Allan Donald.

Graeme Smith captained Morkel in 56 Tests and watched on as his express paceman captured 189 of his now 301 Test wickets. 

Reflecting on Morkel’s career, Smith remembers a player whose skill set is the polar opposite to his personality.

Lyon, Paine put sting in Australia's tail

As a bowler, there were at times in his decade-long career that Morkel was the most feared and hostile fast bowler on the planet.

Just ask former Australia captain Michael Clarke what it was like to face the lithe quick in Cape Town four years ago. Clarke can show you the X-rays of the broken bones.

But as a person, Smith says Morkel is unique, warm, a goofball and most importantly a tremendous teammate, one he says will be missed in the Proteas changerooms in less than a fortnight.

“If you know Morne as a person you wouldn’t say he’s hostile,” Smith told cricket.com.au on Friday.

“He’s a very loving, funny, quirky character, a great one for the dressing room and obviously his statistics will go down in the history books and he’s in the top five best South African bowlers. 

“But the changeroom will miss his personality and his sense of humour.

“I remember him coming down as a young guy. His brother I grew up with, Albie Morkel, I played a lot of age-group cricket with him and we started playing internationally together. 

“I always knew about Morne and he used to come down to the nets and bowl to us and you always thought, a man of his height, if he could get stronger and build up his pace, he was going to have a wonderful career and certainly has been. 

“I remember playing a Test match at The Oval where he got out and he ended up walking by chance into the groundsman’s shed instead of the up the stairs to the changeroom. 

“He’s a clumsy man, he reminds me a lot of the guy out of American Pie that seems to get himself into situations a lot that cause some humour. 

“He’s also a great story-teller and the people in the changeroom are going to miss him.”

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, AB de Villiers.

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26. Live coverage

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage