NEW DELHI: South Africa’s expert advisor ahead of Group D final against United Arab Emirates Albie Morkel It brought a touch of humor to the conference. Asked whether he exchanges coaching ideas with his brother and bowling coach of the Indian team Morn MorkelThe 44-year-old looked serious at first, then grinned and said: “No, we don’t talk to each other (laughs). I think mom was more worried than we were. She didn’t know who to support, India or South Africa. “The ‘rivalry’ between the Proteas brothers will be one to watch when South Africa takes on India in their first Super Eight match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
T20 World Cup | Albie Morkel holds press conference on South Africa’s bowling strength and Rabada’s form
Since Moeen took over as India’s bowling coach as part of head coach Gautam Gambhir’s support staff, some of the team’s individual bowling performances have improved significantly. His behind-the-scenes work with players like Shivam Dube has perfected the player’s role in the team.Albi, who is three years older than Moeen, appears to be settling into a professional advisory role in South Africa, which, according to the former fast bowling all-rounder, is largely bowling-oriented.“Yes, it’s an interesting term, expert consultant. I’ll have to figure it out a bit myself. But, of course, it’s anything that helps the team do well in the World Cup. I’ve done some work on both the batting and fielding aspects and am currently focusing on the bowling. I’ve done some work on our all-rounders, swingers and so on,” explained Albee, who was appointed to the position on the eve of the T20 World Cup.His partnership with the pacers paid dividends for the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up, with fast bowlers taking most of the wickets, including two all-rounders.
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada bowls during the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
While Kagiso Rabada (two wickets in four games) has struggled to find his rhythm, Lungi Ngidi (eight wickets), Marco Janssen (seven wickets) and Corbin Bose (five wickets) have maintained a strong pace attack.“It’s a privilege to work with a team that has such incredible fast bowlers. The standard of the entire bowling line-up is very, very high. That’s something we feed off of each other,” Bose, who was named Man of the Match with figures of 3/12 against the UAE, told reporters at the post-match press conference.“I think this is the first time we’ve played as a group, so we’re still learning how we operate as a unit. But we’ve done a really good job so far and there’s no extra pressure.”
South Africa’s Corbin Bosch bowls a ball during the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Listening to Boss, it’s clear that Alby has already made an impact in such a short time, and from Alby’s own words, it’s clear he knows what he’s doing off the field.“Look, I think we first have to start where our players are playing the most T20 cricket in South Africa. And the wickets there, what should I say? It is not the best for T20 cricket. So people can get away with a lot in South Africa,” he said.“When you come here (India), especially at this time of year, before the summer, the wickets are still good, your changes, your slow balls and all those types of things, they don’t play that big a role.“So, our real focus is on locking in your yorkers. I feel like that skill has been lost, not just from us but from most teams around the world. If I asked who is the best death bowler in the world, you would probably say Jasprit Bumrah. He had a really good yorker. “
It’s a privilege to work with a team that has such incredible fast bowlers. The quality of the entire bowling line-up is really high.
Corbin Boss
“So, it’s really just focusing on those skills that I wouldn’t say bowlers have forgotten, but with all the changes coming into play, I think bowlers can be overshadowed by that.”It is also worth noting that the current pacers team is so trusted by the management that even Ottniel Baartman, the highest wicket-taker in SA20 Season 4, is not in the 15-man squad.South Africa, who remain unbeaten at the World Cup, made four changes from Wednesday’s six-wicket win over the UAE, resting David Miller, Jansen, Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj ahead of what they consider to be the start of what they consider the “real World Cup”.this Stephen Fleming’s influenceFormer Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Albi Morkel has not been shy about acknowledging the influence of former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming on his coaching philosophy.“When I started my coaching career, you were still coaching as a player and if you wanted to make a difference, you couldn’t play. I think you have to accept that fact and figure it out because players are under pressure anyway. If you, as a coach, are always trying to make a difference in games, it won’t help anyway,” he said.“So, it’s about finding a middle ground where you’re trying to help but as a coach you’re also not putting pressure on the players. They know what they are doing. If it’s a real technical issue then you can work on it, but not during the game.“I think my philosophy is that once you get to a World Cup like this and you start tinkering with the technical stuff, that’s when you confuse players, or players can get confused. So now it’s more about, how can I really take the pressure off the players and get them to believe in themselves, that kind of thing.“Steven had a big influence on that. I think he’s one of the only coaches, or probably the only coach in the world, who has been with another team for seventeen years. That’s unheard of, so he must have done something right. I certainly learned a lot from him.”