'No room for error'

The Morkel brothers mdash Albie and Morne mdash played five T20 World Cups together apart from figuring in two Indian Premier League editions While allrounder Albie played for Chennai Super Kings Royal Challengers Bangalore Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant from 2008 to 2016 pace stalwart Morne wore the colours of Rajasthan Royals Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders from 2009 to 2016Their similar activities have now extended to coachingMorne 39 four years junior to Albie was recently appointed Indiarsquos bowling coach while Albie continues to be bowling coach of New York Strikers The team are part of the T10 Max60 Caribbean League being held in the Cayman Islands from where Albie spoke to middayEdited excerpts from an interviewHow do you view Mornersquos responsibility of being bowling coach to the Indian senior teamIt goes without saying that being on the Indian teamrsquos coaching staff is probably the biggest responsibility or coaching job out there The passion for the sport and the success that the team had in the past makes it a job with no room for error He will be surrounded by some very good players who have achieved a lot so I guess for him itrsquos a matter of earning their trust and believe that he can help to reach their full potential day in and day outHow excited were you and the family with the news of him being one of the contenders for the job and then him eventually getting itHe was actually in South Africa when he heard the news of getting the job He knows it comes with a lot of sacrifice but itrsquos also a great feather in his cap being a relatively young coach Wersquoll support him all the wayHow did you view bowling coaches when you played international cricket Generally were they helpful or you felt sometimes they got too technical and contributed to you departing from what you believed was the best way to do thingsItrsquos a fine line between being too technical and whatrsquos right I think the game has changed so much over the last decade Younger bowlers or bowlers who struggle with injuries probably need more technical work and after that itrsquos about fine tuning what you have The mental aspect becomes very important then to sustain longevityAlso ReadKusale rewarded Rs 5 lakh by MRAWhat kind of an analytical mind does Morne possessI havenrsquot worked with him on that level but what he has is a lot of experience in most situations that the bowlers might encounter If he applies that in his coaching and find ways to communicate that in a way that makes sense he will add a lot of valueDid you ever imagine he would get into the coaching sphere one dayHe has always been a likeable guy with a passion for cricket He started off dabbling with media work but I guess the urge to still get his lsquocricket fixrsquo through coaching eventually won So it was a natural progressionWould you know which of the Indian bowlers current and former he admiresNot sure but most likely Zaheer Khan and Jasprit BumrahHow special and unique does he believe Bumrah isOnce again I donrsquot know what his exact thoughts would be but Jasprit is the best allformat bowler in the world He is very special and Irsquom sure Morne would love to work with himAn India coaching role can be very confronting because of high expectations from the entire ecosystem and itrsquos not unusual mdash like any other major cricketing country mdash for heads to be called for when one encounters failures Can you throw up an example which underlines that Morne has the mental makeup to deal with those lofty expectations and pressureYes that comes with any coaching role probably magnified a bit coaching Team India What he has is a great group of players and support staff around him so in a sense they donrsquot have to reinvent the wheel Hopefully the senior players and staff can form a good working relationship quickly as that plays a big role in a happy team environment and consistent performanceWho does Morne view as an inspirationMe ha hajoke Maybe you must ask him one day when you see himWhat did you tell him ahead of his India assignmentHe has nothing to lose Itrsquos a fantastic opportunity to be involved with a top team Yes there might be constant pressure if they get it right and have a successful term then it will be well worth itWhat is your best cricketing memory of you both being in the same South Africa setup togetherIt was a great honour sharing the field with him To see him excel like he did was amazing to be apart of We played in five T20 World Cups together and although there is no silverware to show it was still great to have a brother on the fieldAnd your most unforgettable IPL moment of you both playing together in the IPL I think you both featured in one game in 2013 and two in 2012 when Morne played for DelhihellipI think that was harder on our parents because who do you support When you go out on the field to battle being family takes a back seat Luckily I only faced one or two balls from Morne so no damage done5No of T20 World Cups Albie and Morne Morkel played together for South Africa