If he doesn’t do it with the bat, just wait ...

Dear Chris Morris

Iam a big cricket fan and have a soft spot for Johannesburg franchise the Lions. Also, having been something of an all-rounder during my school days, I tend to look out for them more than other players in a team.

You caught my eye playing for the Lions many years ago and I remember telling my mate, Dave, that you would go on to bigger things. He argued vehemently, maintaining you were no more than an “ordinary” batsman and an “ordinary” bowler.

I do have to admit there were times when I thought Dave might be correct. For someone who is such a clean hitter of a cricket ball, you had a penchant for throwing your wicket away at the most inopportune time.

You could be just as frustrating with ball in hand. A bang-it-in type bowler, you obviously like to intimidate batsmen with shortpitched deliveries. But pitches often don’t suit that type of bowling and I remember you going for plenty of runs and finishing wicketless on a few occasions.

But, as I told Dave, you have a special quality. Being an all-rounder enables you to excel in one discipline if you have failed in

Guy Hawthorne

the other

The ability to shrug off a disappointment in a match and silence your detractors with an eye-catching performance just a few hours later is one I admire. I spotted that in you long ago … you have that steely resolve which is, sadly, lacking in so many modern-day sports professionals.

Sunday’s one-off T20 against Australia was a case in point.

With the match reduced to 10 overs, it was a bit of a slog fest, and your contribution was a golden duck in the late chase for runs. Dave, who happened to be watching the match with me on TV, turned to me with a knowing smile. “Relax, bud, he’s yet to bowl,” I reminded him.

And, again, your character shone through. You mixed it up nicely, combining short-pitched balls with full, quick deliveries, and sent the dangerous Chris Lynn and D’Arcy Short packing in a two-over spell in which you conceded only 12 runs. In a 10over match, to go for a run a ball is a terrific feat and you once again showed what a valuable member of the Proteas team you are.

Also, I could really rub it in with Dave, which I did.

There will be many who will argue that you are not the most talented all-rounder in the country, and that may be true. But I would much rather have a player in my team who remains positive no matter the situation; someone who believes in his ability to bounce back from adversity.

Roll on the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020 … I’m convinced you will be an integral part of the Proteas’ set-up.