The Proteas all-rounder felt heartbroken for Anrich Nortje, whom he replaced in Proteas squad.
South African all-rounder Chris Morris got called up into the ICC World Cup 2019 squad following an injury to Anrich Nortje. Morris has accepted that he wasn’t picked in the first 15 but wants to make the most of the chance he has got now.
Nortje, who was picked in the squad broke his right thumb while practicing in the nets and was ruled out of the all-important World Cup. This allowed Morris to be picked in the squad which will fly to England and plays the hosts in the tournament opener on May 30.
He was in talks with the selectors and they gave him an honest answer on why he was not picked in the first 15. He liked their honesty and had accepted that the players who were picked performed better than him.
The 32-year-old said, “I had an honest conversation with the selectors in terms of where I sit with them in terms of the World Cup because you think of that when you perform. There's so much noise around World Cup selection so I needed a bit of clarity. The clarity was that I wasn't in line for the World Cup and I was behind a couple of players.”
“I could appreciate the honesty‚ I could appreciate where I was and I could understand because the guys were doing a lot better than I was. It took some time to accept that but I just got on with the job. I was the all-rounder that was at the back of the pecking order with the other all-rounders being better than I was. I accept selection very quickly and as much as it hurt‚ it's out of your hands,” he added.
He felt bad for Nortje after hearing the news. He wants to make sure that he gives his best as he has got a chance as a blessing.
He said, “When I first heard the news‚ I was heartbroken because it's never fun for a person to miss out on the World Cup because of a broken finger or injury. It's a blessing to be here though and not many people get the opportunity to go to a World Cup. My chance has come in a certain way and I have to make the most of it.”
It is very good of him that he has found the reason for his inconsistency and wants to improve on it. Consistency of players will be key in the tournament as each team will have to play 9 matches before reaching the knockout stages.
Morris explained, “This game tends to be quite simple and when you overcomplicate it‚ that's when the inconsistency creeps in. I have been inconsistent and we can't beat around the bush in regards with that one. My consistency has been lacking and I think it's down to over-thinking. I think it's something of the past now and it's amazing how much you can learn in a year. The only way one can fix inconsistency is to prove people wrong.”
(Source: Sunday Times)