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Cricket PlayersBattle within a battle: Morkel brothers set for sibling rivalry in India vs South Africa T20 World Cup Super 8s clash
In a video shared by BCCI, the Morkel brothers met at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad ahead of the India vs South Africa match.
When India takes on South Africa in their T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 opener on Sunday, all eyes will be on Morne Morkel and Albie Morkel. The Morkel brothers are legendary figures in cricket and represented South Africa during their playing days. Now, as coaches, they will be on opposite dugouts. Morne will represent India, and Albie will be in the South African dugout.
In a video shared by BCCI, the pair met at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad ahead of the match. The camaraderie and brotherhood were visible as Albie combed Morne's hair before the interaction.
Albie, who is older than Morne, opened up about their childhood days, playing cricket in their backyard. "I remember most of the backyard games ended up either in arguments or tears. As you know in a backyard game, you are never out. As a bowler, the batsman is always out. So there were always arguments around that. I remember him crying a lot because he was the youngest. The older brothers just told him what to do," he said.
During his playing career, Albie was an all-rounder who bowled right-arm medium fast and batted left-handed. At an early age, he was compared to South African legend Lance Klusener and was known for his power-hitting abilities. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2019.
Meanwhile, Morne represented South Africa from 2006 to 2018 and was a right-arm pacer. In 2018, he became the fifth bowler to take 300 Test wickets for South Africa. He also represented the Proteas in 117 ODIs, 44 T20Is. He played his last international game in March 2018 vs Australia. He was also part of the Indian coaching setup during their victorious 2025 Champions Trophy and 2025 Asia Cup campaigns.
Albie Morkel explains his role
Morne is India's bowling coach, and Albie is working as South Africa's specialist consultant. When asked to explain his role, the older brother said, “In short, I have to figure out what its hard to beat Team India on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, Morne also explained his role, revealing that he needs to provide the Indian bowlers with more clarity before matches.
"As a bowling coach, there is always a lot of pressure on you. But we are quite lucky that in our group there is a lot fo experience, there is a lot of people that can assist and help you in that dugout," he said.
"Sitting in the dugout, what I can control is very limited. So my job starts here tonight, to help these guys be clear, to provide that clarity, to give them back the confidence to perform. From there, you can only hold onto your seat, you can chew your fingernails."
‘We both have the same goal to win on Sunday’
Claiming that there will be no hard feelings between them after the match, Albie said, "We both have the same goal to win on Sunday."
"Since our playing days, on and off the field, we hardly spoke about games and moments. Life after this tournament will go on and he is my family," he added.
