Given how well 37-year-old flamboyant hitter Faf du Plessis has been playing in lucrative regional T20 leagues throughout the world, former South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel hopes he will be given a shot in the next ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
Given that he captained Royal Challengers Bangalore and amassed a remarkable 468 runs in the IPL 2022, top-order batsman Du Plessis has demonstrated he still possesses the skills necessary to compete at the highest level despite no longer having a playing contract with Cricket South Africa (CSA).
Du Plessis was passed over by the CSA for the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE the previous year, and they are currently faced with the same decision on whether or not to select him for the 20-over championship game in Australia in October-November of this year.
In fact, du Plessis has also been recommended for the competition by former South Africa captain Graeme Smith.
At a celebration marking the 100-day countdown to the T20 World Cup on Friday, Morkel told ICC Digital in Melbourne, "You want all your big-name players to play and Faf is still playing well at the age of 37."
"He continues to perform well, moves fluidly in the field, and has been excellent for RCB (in the IPL). I wish those seasoned players were on the team. Although it is up to Cricket South Africa to figure it out, I am unquestionably a huge fan of it "Morkel was added.
Morkel believes that South Africa will still be very competitive in the T20 World Cup whether or not du Plessis is selected for the team. The team, which has some of the top bowlers in the world, including pacer Kagiso Rabada and spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, drew their crucial T20I away series against India.
At the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, that pair took eight wickets each, and Morkel anticipates a similar performance this time around.
I genuinely think they have an attack that will work effectively in these circumstances, Morkel remarked. "Kagiso Rabada is a professional athlete of the highest calibre, Anrich Nortje excelled in the IPL, and Shamsi is a reliable spinner. I do think the team is well-balanced, and in T20 cricket right now, the teams are really competitive."